Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – 4

8/10

Can you distance yourself when you go solo from one of the largest beasts in the Rock world and bring in a huge voice to the mix? Well, you can, and you can´t I think is the sane answer to that question.

There is no doubt that some of the songs here could be placed on a Gn´R album like “Cést la vie”, or “Call of the Dogs”. But you also have songs like “Whatever Gets You By” that seems just right for the Slash/Kennedy mix.

This is both a diverse and simple album. Diverse in the way that it swings in a few different directions. It is simple because of the compositions of the songs. Now, I must make that clear that I do not mean that as a negative.

If I put on an album that Slash has anything to do with, I do not expect anything else than Rock N´Roll. If it is more melodic, more bluesy or more dirty action rock I don´t care. Here they have managed to get a bit of all of the above.

What is more pleasing as well is that Myles Kennedys voice seems to have been more incorporated in the music and now after 4 releases feels like it is more in the forefront: actually fronting and carrying the songs more.

This is not a guitar masturbating album. The other three has not been that either but I feel that there is a step forward and there is more a band now. It is not Slash, a voice that is flexible and musicians that just go with whatever.

A big selling point for this album is also the choice of producer, venue and recording technique. Nashville, Dave Cobb and recording as Live makes this almost like a session album. The not perfect bits are really clear and there for you to hear. “April Fool” “Fill My World” & “Action Speak Louder Than Words” are perfect examples of this.

You get the feeling that sound bleeds in the recording and the voice certainly have not been tweaked at all. It adds to the charm of the album. They have not gone in and added or edited either drums, vocals or choirs at all. Here I must give a shout out to Todd Kerns and a great job with filling in behind Kennedy with great and fitting backing vocals all the way through.

A good next step in the evolution of what started as Slash and friends. I already look forward to the next step.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5hEFdC1iEWOjgQgiRqdtXQ?si=OmZnBSOkT9-Sg26X65CgLw

Band: Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators
Title: 4
Label: Gibson
Date of release: 2022-02-11
Rate: 8/10
Stand Out Track: Action Speak Louder Than Words.
Country of Origin: USA
Playing Time: 43:39