Right, Guns 'n' Roses are sounding tighter without him, but Slash was such an integral part of the band that they still seem odd without one another. However, the fizzy-headed one has always been in much demand since leaving Axl behind, and whilst never reaching the dizzy heights with another band (Velvet Revolver ? You must be kidding!), his solo albums have been bought by many and his talents never doubted. And so we come to this rather intriguing record. Now, I've never been too sure on these kind of albums, i.e. the ones where someone like a famous drummer or guitarist who has no singing ability, drafts in lots of friends to appear on tracks. The best album I heard like this was Dave Grohl's Probot, but I must admit, this record and that bad...or as bad as I expected. Sure, there's a few lame ducks, mainly those featuring rather modern day 'rock vocalists' who I couldn't care less about. 'Promise', featuring Chris Cornell is awful too, proof that the guy's vocals have gone to rat shit and further proof that Soundgarden should die a natural death. However, when Mr Grohl drafted in Lemmy for 'Shake Your Blood', you knew it was gonna be a winner, and Slash has done the same here as Lemmy features on 'Doctor Alibi', a rough 'n' ready oily rocker. The album's opener, 'Ghost' features Ian Astbury, and as you'd expect, it's a hip-shaking, star-spangled success, as is 'Crucify The Dead' which features Ozzy who puts in his best performance since about 1992!
Surprise track is 'Beautiful Dangerous', featuring the rather sultry Fergie from the hip-hop/pop act Black Eyed Peas. She's proof that sometimes styles can cross over if you've got the talent.
Of course, behind every vocal talent, there's Slash and his axe knitting together the grooves, and overall, this record makes for a pleasant listen.
7/10
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