Slash's '4' - Album Review

It would have been very easy for Slash to take his foot off the pedal when he re-joined Guns N' Roses in 2016. The sheer amount of money that the band's on-going reunion tour will have netted him will have certainly set him up for life but, unlike Axl Rose, Slash seems to have an ongoing need to create. Whilst Guns N' Roses have recently released a couple of new songs which feature Slash, the guitarist has now released two full length albums since re-joining the band - which has ensured that his very successful solo career has kept on track. After being a member of a couple of different post-Guns N' Roses bands, Slash truly struck out on his own in 2010 when he released his self-titled debut solo album. This album featured an awful lot of talent on it, and it allowed Slash to work with a number of different singers and musicians, but it seems that the couple of songs that featured the vocal talents of Myles Kennedy really resonated with him. As such, and despite Kennedy's Alter Bridge commitments and own solo career, Kennedy has been Slash's right-hand man ever since. Slash and Kennedy, along with their largely-unchanged backing band The Conspirators, have now put out four albums of excellent bluesy hard rock - the latest of which was released last month. Despite having the generic title 4, as it is the fourth Slash album to exclusively feature Kennedy and The Conspirators, Slash's fifth overall solo album is, for me, a slight departure from his previous work. It is not drastically different, but there is a brevity and garage rock quality to 4 that is absent from Slash's previous albums. His last solo album, 2018's Living the Dream (which I reviewed here), saw Slash take a leaner path, however. 2014's World on Fire (which I also reviewed here) is a great album, and actually made it into my Top 10 list for that year, but its 77 minute run time means that it is not an album that I revisit too often. 2012's Apocalyptic Love was also over an hour long when including the two bonus tracks that basically every version of the album came with, so lengthy albums had been Slash's M.O. for a while. Living the Dream was just over 50 minutes long, but 4 has slimed things down even further - and is not much longer than 40 minutes. As such, 4 is Slash at his leanest - and the album feels like an old-school hard rock album as it can easily fit on two sides of vinyl. As someone who sometimes tires of long albums, I find 4 to be very palatable. It is also the rawest that Slash has sounded since the very early days of Guns N' Roses. The album was largely recorded live in the studio, and it was produced by Dave Cobb who has recently worked with the likes of Rival Sons and Europe. The sound of the former is certainly an influence here, and 4 has a similarly raw sound to the Californian blues rockers. 4 is sufficiently bluesy, too, and there is certainly a focus on that side of Slash's playing at times - although the rawness does allow for some raucous hard rocking moments, too.

The album kicks off with its lead single The River Is Rising; a great hard rocker that is not a million miles away from the sound Slash forged on Living the Dream. It opens with a trilling guitar riff and a foot-stomping rhythm, which soon explodes into a rhythmic verse featuring Kennedy singing at the lower end of his register. Much of the song sees Kennedy singing at a higher pitch, which is more typical, but the heaviness of the early portion of the verse is emphasised by his deeper tones. He moves through the gears to reach the chorus, however, which is a hooky moment that sticks in the brain after only a couple of listens. It is one of the album's best choruses in my opinion, and it has an old-school 1980s hard rock vibe thanks to Kennedy's high notes and the dirty guitar tones of Slash and Frank Sidoris. As is to be expected, there is plenty of opportunities for Slash to solo, too, and the solo section sees the band speed up considerably to allow his bluesy shredding to take centre stage. Whatever Gets You By is tougher, and rather bass-heavy. The bottom end of Todd Kearns dominates the track, with his basslines constantly driving everything. Slash and Sidoris add some bluesy colour, but on the whole the bass is the lead instrument - at least during the verses. The choruses are fuller, however, and feature all of the instruments playing a snaking riff which Kennedy sings along with in an old-school Black Sabbath-esque way. One thing that is clear from the off on this album is just how simple the arrangements are here. Slash and co. seemed to have deliberately stripped everything away from the songs to leave only the bare necessities - and that is how Whatever Gets You By feels with its snaking chorus and bass-heavy sound. C'est La Vie is a little 'bigger' in sound, but it is still relatively stripped back to fit in with the overall sound of the album. The guitar tones throughout are a little less crackly this time, and the song has an overall smoother sound - with some great wah-drenched Slash guitar leads that recall some of his trademark playing of the past. Kearns' bass still dominates however, and his rumbling basslines once again drive the verses - which are a little lighter sounding than anything that has come before. It is easily the cleanest sounding song on the album to this point too. The live-in-the-studio sound opted for here has its benefits, but the mix at times could be better. There are times that a solo or a main vocal hook is a bit low in the mix, which may be deliberate and part of the sound that was being sought, but C'est La Vie in general is cleaner sounding and more balanced.

The Path Less Followed opens with a simple, yet dirty, guitar riff that ends up forming the basis of the song - although a few subtle bluesy guitar leads soon kick in just before the main verse takes off. This is one of the album's rawest sounding songs, and the live sound that the band were seeking this time is very much captured here. The guitars really distort throughout the track, and there are times when it sounds like the amps are really buzzing - almost with feedback. It works well to create a dirty sound, but it is also a song that suffers from the imbalanced mix mentioned earlier. Kennedy really struggles to make himself heard throughout the song, and he always seems to be sitting just below a cacophony of overdriven guitars. I like the sound overall, but a better mix would have certainly helped the song - and I do not think that any of the rawness would have been lost by balancing the sounds more evenly. Actions Speak Louder Than Words is a very memorable bluesy hard rocker that has something of an old-school Aerosmith vibe throughout. The main melody line, which resurfaces throughout the choruses, is filled with lots of classic bluesy phrases, while the verses have a real strutting groove. This groove is expanded upon during the choruses too, with Brent Fitz's drumming taking on a stomping beat - with plenty of cowbell and bass drum. The chorus is another that features that old Black Sabbath technique of the singer just singing along with the riff - and it is a moment that sees everyone in the band playing a variation of the same riff, which helps the melody to stick and the song to sound powerful. Spirit Love opens with some Eastern-tinged melodies, but these do not stick around for a long at all - as it is not long before a heavy riff kicks in that is again very bass-driven. Considering that 4 is essentially a Slash solo album, Kearns' bass is often the album's dominant sound. The guitars here are generally mixed into the background, despite their heavy riffing, with the bass driving everything. This does allow Kennedy's voice to sit higher up in the mix this time, which is good, but I do not see why the mix had to be put together in such a way. For me the song would have hit harder with more of a guitar presence, and it is a shame that the mix feels off as the chorus is a pretty strong one that is sure to go down well live. Fill My World is another of the album's singles, and as such it is a very hooky track filled with lots of melodies. The main opening guitar melody is very much a classic Slash phrase, and the overall vibe of the song is more low key than much of the album. The verses are quite gentle this time, with some arpeggiated guitar melodies and big chords, while the chorus is bigger - with a reprise of the intro's hypnotic guitar line and some great Kennedy vocals. While not a ballad, the song has that vibe during the verses somewhat - which makes the chorus, and the particularly epic-sounding bridge, hit harder when they kick in.

April Fool ramps up the heaviness again, and opens with a snappy blues rock riff that certainly has an old-school Guns N' Roses vibe to it. The song is generally is cut from that cloth, too, which in fairness to Slash is something that he has generally avoided throughout his solo career. There are certain Slashisms which are always present, of course, but he has generally avoided writing songs that sound very similar to Guns N' Roses. April Fool is one, however, and the rawness of the production suits the track. Even the fact that the mix is again a bit off, with Kennedy being buried at times, works this time as it sounds like a long-lost Guns N' Roses demo. It probably helps, too, that the bass is not as dominant this time, which also allows Slash's guitar to really shine. The main riff is packed full of energy and strut, while his solo is a fast, bluesy run of notes that is filled with his typical phrasing style. Call off the Dogs is similar in style, but does not sound as much like a lost Guns N' Roses song this time. There is still a great rawness to the riff, however, which is similar to that of the previous song - but this is a song which maintains a fast pace throughout. There has always been a subtle punk edge to Slash's playing, and Call off the Dogs certainly has a bit of that throughout. The pace never lets up, and Fitz's drumming has a simple, punky vibe throughout that is more about speed than creating any sort of groove. It works well, however, as Kennedy's vocals throughout are generally quite snarling - and the chorus is one that easily gets stuck in the brain due to its simple use of melody and Slash's bluesy lead playing. Fall Back to Earth, the album's closing number, is the longest song here. Much of the album has been faster paced and hard rocking, but the closing track is somewhat more dynamic. It starts quite slowly, with a big bluesy guitar lead, which soon gives way to a verse that features delicate guitar playing and some gentle Kennedy vocals. It ramps up as it reaches the chorus, however, which explodes with a screaming guitar lead and some dirtier tones. It reminds me a little of a rawer version of Starlight from Slash's first solo albums. It has a similar quiet-meets-loud arrangement, which has ballad-esque moments and heavy blues rock sections that emphasise Slash's guitar playing. The song's solo may well be my favourite on the album too, as it is somewhat on the slower side which allows for some aching phrases that are so classic Slash in style. Due to its focus on Slash's guitar playing, the song is a perfect way to close out the album - as it acts as another reminder of his excellence as a guitarist, with the closing solo in particular being a highlight. The song also benefits from a great mix, although sadly this is not something that can be said about all of the songs here. Whilst a more consistent sound would have been preferable, the material throughout 4 is still strong. There is a lot to like here, and some of Slash's solos are up there with his best. I like the rawness of the album in principle, but sadly it has come at the cost of a clear mix in some cases - which does dent my enjoyment of some of the songs.

The album was released on 11th February 2022 via Snakepit Records/Gibson Records. Below is the band's promotional video for The River Is Rising.