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Album Review
by SashaS
10-6-2004
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| Velvet Revolver's 'Contraband' is ace |
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Velvet Revolver: 'Contraband'
(RCA)
Velvet Revolver: supergroup's superb album
Probably the third most rehab’d band, after Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin [and discounting the time when the three members were part of Guns N’Roses]… Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum of GN’R, plus former Stone Temple Pilot Scott Weiland on vocals and Dave Kushner [of Electric Love Hogs] on guitarm whose medical history we are not wise to].
With such pedigrees you get music as you’d expect and it is much better than the sentence reads. Huge, epic songs with matching melodies and big, rocktastic vocals. We haven’t had it this large, since… Well, the last time G’NR recorded together; many have tried to emulate this with very few succeeding. But then, you require proper players and not Sum 41!
Age, and hopefully wisdom, do not interfere with the rocking-out songs that threaten to bounce speakers off the stands. Police sirens take is into the opening ‘Sucker Train Blues’ that sounds as if it could be played on a huge stage only; after so many years in the biggest bands, these lads do not know, nor care, to write songs for small venues.
‘Big Machine’ sounds like its title, as well as ‘Spectacle’ - burning with fury, fingers flying over frets, rhythms approaching a shuttle takeoff speed. Weiland’s vocal is not buried in the mix but can clearly be heard and the band’s claim that he is one of the “Last great rock singers” certainly is supported by his delivery here.
Firing part of their name is thus well represented but the velvet one doesn’t get overlooked either: ‘Fall To Pieces’ is a slowish song which Slash takes some higher places where he delivers one of the best solos on the record. And, man, hombre hasn‘t lost his axe-meister touch! Pure ballad is ‘You Got No Right’ with closing track, ‘Loving The Alien’, leaning towards psychedelic…
Velvet Revolver still sound hungry, pissed-off and ready to take the world on… It is useless to speculate how GN’R would have sounded it they remained intact but one thing is for sure: no need for wait for Axl’s ‘Chinese Democracy’ - this will satisfy all your needs. ‘Contraband’ combines the best elements of GN‘R and STP and still manages to sound like the new band of veterans who got volumes to play.
Gem-solid disc that will probably not launch another HM/Hard Rock rehabilitation but will provide hours of serious pleasure for all those who feel let down by Mr Rose and his ever-changing line-up.
8/10
SashaS
10-6-2004
Velver Revolver’s album ‘Contraband’ is released 07 June 2004 by RCA/BMG
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