Slash and his team of Conspirators alongside Myles Kennedy are back with a brand new set of songs, a decade after their sucessful release of “Apocalyptic Love”. Aptly titled “4”, it’s an album that simply let’s the music do the talking and yet another reminder that true rock n’ roll is not even close to being dead.
Kicking off with the melodic number “The River Is Rising“, this dyamically charged track sets the tone for the rest of the album, utilising the skillset of each member of the band which includes bassist Todd Kerns, drummer Brent Fitz and rhythm guitarist Frank Sidoris holding the fort on the back end of the band’s rhythmic sound. The uptempo switch halfway is a nice surprise as Slash leads his band mates through an electrifying solo that ends things with a bang and already we are on level 10.
“Time Will Tell” brings a slower funky groove to the fold, contrasting a little to the album opener which then leads into “C’est la vie” with it’s talk-box induced sound giving us an early highlight of the album. The band are sounding better than ever and it’s the lively feel, sparked by the need to literally record these songs live off the floor to truly have that real band connectivity that really makes this thing come alive. In an age of digital technology, it’s still good to hear real musicians playing together.
Further down the tracklist we come across “Spirit Love” with it’s Middle Eastern sounding twang intertwined through-out this somewhat heavier number. A definite stand out on the album and one that would go down super well live to a crowd for sure. Myles goes for a bit of a different vocal sound in “Fill My World” in one of the more mellower songs on offer, another reminder of the fantastic vocal range the singer has.
The band go down the classic rock route with “April Fool“, giving nod to some Aerosmith influences. One of the late surprises on the album which was also released as a single, “Call Of The Dogs” is trademark Slash, Myles and Conspirators and a good representation of where the band are in 2022. The fact that the album is already a solid set of songs so far and having this lead track be so far down the tracklist is a testament to the strength of this album and the strong creative minds of the band.
A sweeping melodic affair in “Fall Back To Earth” brings things back to finish it all off and we are then left with yet another brilliant album from Slash and co. “4” will be more than enough to satisfy the rock fans out there, it’s a consistently solid album through out and a fun one to listen to. Given the lively feel of this album, this is one live show we need to see.
Release Year: 2022
Label: Sony Music Australia / Gibson Records
Category: Album
Country: USA
Review by Andrew Massie
