I loved Slash's last self titled solo effort, especially the mix of different artists on it. I think sticking to using just Myles Kennedy on this album may have been a mistake.Don't get me wrong, I think Kennedy is a fantastic vocalist. He can out perform Axel Rose on old G'N'R songs these days, but he doesn't get me going. I had about as much use for Alter Bridge as I did for Creed. Listening to him on here is like listening to Jeff Keith of Tesla or Eric Martin of Mr. Big. I'm not fond of either, but they are very talented. But, I think that has a lot to do with how I feel about this album.
The title track kicks off the album. It's a good old fashion Rock & Roll song sung by a vocalist the can hit high notes. It get's me rocking, but not paying any real attention. However, One Last Thrill grabs my attention right away, even if it's because it sounds like Myles Kennedy is going "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" like a chihuahua on crystal meth. Which isn't what is going on at all. However, both songs sound like leftovers from Velvet Revolver.
Standing In The Sun keeps up the tradition of well crafted rock songs that this album offers. The problem is that so far the songs have all sounds like typical stock material. I mean you can hear that Slash is in there, but is he really? Even the solo on this song seems like he wasn't trying, but just relying on his basic playing.
You're A Lie sounds like Slash is taking shots at Axel for the shots he took during Chinese Democracy. I have to say this is the first song that kind of really grabs my attention. It's a good middle tempo Rock song. However, I'm still not overly impressed.
No More Heroes is the first song on the album I truly like, but it sounds like a Tesla song that could have been on The Last Action Hero Soundtrack. "Took a shot in the dark / Though the aim was true / Still it missed the mark / As we wait for a hero we can't find / Now I know, now I realize / It's a hard line / Once you cross you're on your own / But I won't lie, I'm not satisfied / We can't wait much longer / When your heroes, turn to the enemy / And there's nothing left to hold / When your heroes, give only apologies / I won't deny it leaves me cold".
It would seem that it takes until the middle of the album before I really start to care at all, because Halo is really good too. But at this point I'm still kind of wondering where Slash is. The solo in the song sorta sounds like him, I mean the sound and tone is right, but just on the whole this album seems like it's more Myles and less Slash.
We Will Roam isn't doing much for me either. I have no clue what the hell went on during these sessions, but it doesn't get me off. I want to blame the producer Eric Valentine for being the cause of this stock footage mess of a Rock band struggling in the early 90's, but that's the same guy that did the first album. I think for the next album Slash needs to find a new producer, because this guy is being a "yes man". I mean the production sounds great, for a 90's album, but the songs are just so spiritless.
Anastasia is a breath of fresh air, in it's limited capacity. I mean Slash breaks out into some great Classical music shredding, and then quickly settles into some basic riffing. However, this is the first song on the album that I think Myles actually sounds really good along with the guitar guru, that's channeling one for the showboat guitarist. Good for him, even if it's been done before. I do like the fact that Slash actually opens up while playing this song, and let's it go for a while.
Now, I'm sure that at this point a couple of my friends are giving me the "WTF!?" since I've pretty much ripped on this entire album, but it would seem to me that Slash is cursed with releasing sub standard second albums. I mean Guns N' Roses' Lies, wasn't exactly something to write home about, although cooler than this one. Velvet Revolver's Libertad has grown on me a bit over the years, but it too pales compared to the album before it, Contraband. Did you know that there was a second Slash's Snake Pit album too? I bet you didn't. That one also keeps up the trend. The next song Not For Me isn't helping either. It's second album hangover crap.
I like the heavy on Bad Rain and this would be a decent tune if it was beig performed by Nickelback, but it's still not sounding like Slash in there. I mean it really sounds to me like Slash just really wasn't into making this album, and did it to keep Myles happy or something. He really should have went to work on the next Velvet Revolver album instead.
Hard & Fast opens in a way that old school classic rock fans might recognise from Steppen Wolf's Magic Carpet Ride. From there it moves into a nice classic boogie woogie that reminds me of songs like Moving To the City or Mama Kin. Which is to say that it sounds very Aerosmith, but it sounds stock Aerosmith.
I Never Cry from Alice Cooper is totally being channeled in Far And Away. My favourite of Alice's 70's ballads, so I'd rather hear Slash's homage to that instead of Only Women Bleed. I could do without both all together, though. At least once the song picks up it really sounds like Slash.
The Album finishes with Shots Fired. This is like a left over from Use Your Illusion, or maybe the original demo that became You Could Be Mine, either way it's good, but so fucking boringly typical.
This album really leaves me bummed out. Like I said in the beginning Myles Kennedy is a great vocalist, but I really don't care for him. He's too typically late 80's/early 90's Glam/ Hair Metal for me. I really would have rather Slash worked with a bunch of artists again, it brings out the better in him. This album just sounds dated in a stagnated kind of way.
5/10 - content
7/10 - production
5/10 - personal bias
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