Though this album is named 4, it’s actually Slash’s fifth album since 2010. However, it is the fourth record he’s released with his backing band, the Conspirators, and the incredible singer Myles Kennedy. This first-class team decided to do things a bit differently this time and travelled to Nashville to record with Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Rivals Sons, Chris Stapleton, Lady Gaga…), and they recorded as many tracks as they could live. This way of doing things can occasionally expose an imperfection or two, but it has the advantage of capturing real, raw rock and roll... Something that’s often lost when recording multiple takes.
On the surface, 4 seems to stick to the classic hard rock that Slash is both so adept at and so revered for (perhaps even at the risk of the guitarist seeing little point of venturing out of this comfort zone). However, the sound and articulation of this album gives it a little extra soul, something often lacking in this type of ultra-codified production. This is rock. Real rock. The album is also the first record released by the brand-new Gibson Records label (created by the famous guitar company)… it only seems fitting that this new venture is kicked off with an album by Slash, the guitar legend who’s become almost synonymous with their brand.
The music is solid and full of heavy accents. It hooks you right from the chorus of The River is Rising and hardly ever lets you go from that point onwards (except on rare occasions, for example during Fill my World), which is a good sign. The live recording, which is masterfully produced and mixed by Dave Cobb, makes volume 4 a far more organic record than the three that precede it. The technical guitar riffs (April Fool, Call off the Dogs) are incredible, and can feel similar to some of his best work with Guns N' Roses. This fantastic release also owes its success to Myles Kennedy, a singer who’s consistently at the top of his game and in tune with each and every composition. For fans of Guns N’ Roses, 4 reveals a frustrating truth: the contents of this album are far more convincing than the singles released by Guns N’ Roses around the same time. Perhaps Slash’s music has more room to breathe without Axl around? © Chief Brody/Qobuz