Here Today... Gone To Hell!

i thought it might make sense to have all print reviews in one place.

my dad just called me and asked if i bought the album yet. i said that's next week. he assumed it was today cause this review was in the Philadelphia Inquirer this past sunday....


Velvet Revolver
Libertad
(RCA **1/2)

One of the neatest things about Velvet Revolver is that its thrash-and-babble sounds little like the bands its membership came from. Sashaying ex-Stone Temple Pilots crooner Scott Weiland may have used bits of the tiger-on-Vaseline purr he had with STP. Guns N' Roses' Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum spruced up the tattered rawk cliches that made G&R rote.

Now, through a sound stripped bare, these Velvets, though mighty and melodic, come across as more earnest than sexy. There's little here that's as hedonistically lustrous in lyric or swell as Slither, though the haughty Stones-y "Mary Mary" and the bombastic "She Builds Quick Machines" come close. And Weiland's still a king of the vocal sneer. But in the ferocious "Pills, Demons, Etc." Weiland's careening swagger gets replaced by a sort of moralism that, though worthy of development, lacks punch.

- A.D. Amorosi

Velvet Revolver  (From Entertainment Weekly)
--
VELVET REVOLVERMusic Release9 DaysCredits
Release Date: Jul 03, 2007; Lead Performance: Velvet Revolver; Genre: Rock A-By Tom Sinclair Tom Sinclair
 Tom Sinclair is a senior writer for EW and has been called "the handsomest man in rock criticism'' (by his wife)
The good news: Libertad, Velvet Revolver's second CD is so chock-full of the tight 'n' crunchy pedigreed hard rock that's in short supply these days, it feels both comfortingly familiar and vaguely exotic. And, frankly, the closest thing to bad news is that the cover of Electric Light Orchestra's ''Can't Get It Out of My Head'' isn't anywhere near as good as VR's freshly minted originals. Our advice? Stop pining for a new Guns N' Roses release, break out your air guitars, and bask in the glory of Libertad. A-
DOWNLOAD THIS: Just Sixteen

http://ezine.classicrockmagazine.com/

9/10

Soundi (Finland's Biggest music magazine)

4/5

Total Guitar

7/10 

(Not sure if the article is posted online)

http://idolator.com/tunes/leak-of-the-day/velvet-revolver-aims-misfires-271860.php

ARTIST: Velvet Revolver

TITLE: Libertad

WEB DEBUT: June 23, 2007

RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2007

SOUND QUALITY: 229 kbps (VBR)

ONE-LISTEN VERDICT: The mathematics of this band dictate that any of its recorded output should be at least halfway decent, right? Perhaps forgetting about what it was like to listen to Contraband, we went into this album with visions of hearing hard rock that would cross "Big Bang Baby" with "My Michelle." But listening to Libertad's by-the-numbers hard rock, full of sub-Buckcherry swagger and guitar solos that make Slash's contribution to "Black Or White" sound virtuostic--not to mention the liberal use of cowbell--had only one real effect on us: We went to iTunes and downloaded the new album by Izzy Stradlin.

WHERE TO FIND THE BEST TRACK: We're just as shocked as you that there aren't many music blogs posting songs from this record--but ROCKNROLLPIMP has a stream of "Sex Type Thing '07" "She Mine."

From Metal Sucks:

STEAL THIS TRACK: VELVET REVOLVER LIBERTAD LEAK, ?GET OUT THE DOOR?
June 25th, 2007 by Vince Neilstein
In response to a not-so-stellar review of Velvet Revolver?s new material by our pals over at Idolator, we?d like to prove otherwise. Libertad is chock of full of oh-so-sweet guitar riffage (and boy do they sound BIG), raw guitar solos, upbeat rockers and ballads alike, and Weiland?s voice sounds the best it?s ever sounded. Check out ?Get Out the Door? and our previous post of ?Just Sixteen,? and if you?re not convinced, well? seek help.

Steal This Track: Velvet Revolver - ?Get Out the Door?

-VN

When they exploded out of the gates on their 2004 debut, Contraband, Velvet Revolver were met with as much diffidence as appreciation. After all, supergroups have tended to detonate as often as succeed, and with vocalist Scott Weiland, bassist Duff McKagan, and guitarist Slash all vying to keep the lit match away from the fuse, the odds against this band ever seeing album #2 were even money at best. Surprise! Not only have Velvet Revolver survived three years with unreckless abandon, this album blows the doors off its predecessor. Save a pair of disinfected ballads ("The Last Fight," "Gravedancer"), Libertad is all about hand-grenade chords, drag-racing riffs, and circus-tent choruses. The ageless McKagan and Slash continually gun for the disorderliness of their former band (most notably on the punkish opener "Let It Roll" and its lewd brother "Spay"), while Weiland sounds--knock on wood--positively clean and like a voice of boisterous renewal on tracks like "Mary Mary," "She Builds Quick Machines," and the melt-in-your-mouth cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out of My Head." Obviously egos have been checked at the studio door, as Velvet Revolver have already exceeded their anticipated existence. And now that existence goes back on the clock, trying to outshine a second album that's head-and-shoulders better than the first. --Scott Holter

Amazon.com


From Metal Sucks:

STEAL THIS TRACK: VELVET REVOLVER LIBERTAD LEAK, ?JUST SIXTEEN?

The new song is an upbeat rocker in the more traditional rock and roll vein, consistent with the new tunes we heard the band play at their May 22 concert in New York. In the humble opinions of your editors, this is a way more solid track then the previously leaked lead single ?She Builds Quick Machines.? The bluesy guitar riff has a great rock and roll swagger to it and keeps things moving right along beneath Scott Weiland?s vocals which sound as smooth and clear as I?ve ever heard from him. Throw in some tasty leads from Slash and you?ve got a song that we hope is a good indicator of what?s to come July 3.

Steal This Track: Velvet Revolver - ?Just Sixteen?

-VN

Is it only me or Libertad is getting better reviews than CB?

Seems so, although the album is softer and more "accessible", more different styles of music, and is a lot less nihilistic and cynical which may have something to do with it.  It probably has broader overall appeal and is more digestable to the average listener

But I doubt it will sell as well, it doesn't appear to have the homerun type singles like Slither and FTP

any1 read the review of libertad from classic rock? i agree with except the line about dave being a better rhythm guitarist for slash than izzy!!!!

Yes. I like Dave Kushner but he would die in the shadow of the great Izzy Stradlin. Mick Wall must have been a having an early moment of senility.

Would Izzy Stradlin be a better rhythm guitarist in VR? Hell no.

Different band, different setting and as far as VR goes I couldnt think of anyone better than Dave Kushner to partner up with Slash

If you're a fan of lean, mean hard rock which is what Velvet Revolver says they're trying to make, then yes he would be a better guitarist in VR

Blender

***1/2/*****

Penthouse

****

I don't understand.

Out of how many?

3 1/2 out of 5

Not sure about Penthouse.

I think getting mostly positive, but not glowing reviews is ultimately a good thing. When an artist gets unanimous rave reviews, the expectations are very high and the backlash of "overrated" kicks in soon. As long as "the people" like the album, VR are in a good position.

I don't put much stock in the EW review for two reasons.

First, they don't give much real, relevant information about the album, which is what I would do if I were reviewing something I had never listened to.

Second, their entire magazine is based on the idea that whatever is going on RIGHT NOW is the best and most important.  If they reviewed Appetite, they'd give it a "C" because it's twenty years old and, thus, irrelevant to what they do and the people they are marketed toward.

are u kidding? izzy= lyrics.....Libertad=no lyrics

btw i read in an interview that Kushner actually wrote a song by himself...which one song is it? thanks

He wrote Get Out The Door...

Hardly a standout track... :no:

Hardly a standout track... :no:

Ahhh, you must not be listening loud enough!  : ok:

actually I thought Get Out The Door was one of the better tracks.. good for Kushner atleast he brought something to the table.

I think it's probably the 2nd best song on the album.

I've listened to the album four times, and it consistently failed to impress me.  But I'm sure I'll listen again today or tomorrow, so I'll try to pay special attention to that track. 

If you had said izzy is rock n roll I would have agreed but izzy is lyrics???...don't think so, izzy has written alot of shite lyrics!

Kerrang gave it KK/KKKKK

They said basically it had none of the edge like Contraband and it sounded like the band members were planning retirement except for some of Slashs solos the album does not live up to the first one



And i agree

Hmm...I thought Slash's solos were a major weakness, with a few exceptions.  I think it's good, but could have been much better with some stellar lead guitar work. 

they gave afd 3 ks. fuck krang

Any word on SPIN and RS reviews?

From Daisy518 at velvetrevolverforum:

Velvet Revolver
Libertad **1/2 (out of 5)

For brand-name hard rock, it doesn't get any better--sadly

This supergroup, featuring former Stone Temple Pilot Scott Weiland and three ex-Guns N' Roses members, isn't a band from which major revelations are expected, and you won't find any here. But Libertad does improve slightly on the mostly hookless choogling of the band's 2004 debut, Contraband, with songs that are punchier and a bit more memorable. Opener "Let It Roll" is a respectable two-minute blast of Zeppelin bravado, and the single "She Builds Quick Machines" sounds like it was constructed from the better parts of GNR's "Rocket Queen" and STP's "Sex Type Thing." Still, their cover of ELO's "Can't Get It out of My Head" is probably the only track that will actually get stuck in your head.

Not that it's surprising but these reviews are literally all over the place lol.  One guy thinks the ELO cover is the only head scratcher because it sucks compared to their originals and some reviews say it's the best thing out there lol. 
I'd love to hear a teenager's review of this...of course teens aren't exactly VR's target audience...

Booker just told on himself :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:

 ???

Its from the VR website.

Hear the sound of something whoosing over your head?  :P

i disagree.contraband was a gud album but there was a lot of fillers,there sum songs lik big machine and superhuman that i culdn even listen to cause they were dat bad.however on libertad its not as heavy(which the band stated a few times) but the material is excellent and each song is nearlly as good as the last 1.

The better parts of "Rocket Queen"?  Is this reviewer fucking serious?  Hell no does that song sound like it is anywhere near the better parts of "Rocket Queen".  That's a crock of shit if I've ever read one.

Ali

VELVET REVOLVER - Libertad

Rating ****

IN the year we?re finally being promised the new Guns N? Roses album Chinese Democracy, Axl?s old chums get in first (not difficult) with the follow-up to 2004?s debut VR album Contraband.

For hard rock fans it doesn?t get much better than this, a consummate exercise in ecstatic riffs and earth-shattering rhythm.

Add in a volley of outrageous Slash guitar solos and towering vocals from Scott Weiland and Libertad is destined to be a hit.

The only blip comes with an ill-judged cover of ELO?s Can?t Get It Out Of My Head which suggests VR should sticking to their striking originals. Over to you, Axl. CS

-------------

review from the sun newspaper in the UK

Wow, has this person ever heard either one of these songs?

I must have missed that "Rocket Queen" comparison.  I think RQ is one of the best Appetite tracks, and NOTHING on Libertad comes within 1000 miles of AFD. 


If the review weren't so positive, I'd assume that "outrageous Slash guitar solos" is meant to mean "outrageously bad Slash guitar solos."

Is that from SPIN or RS?

Thanks again to Daisy518 at velvetrevolverforum.com:

Billboard

ARTIST: VELVET REVOLVER

ALBUM: LIBERTAD (RCA Records)

Admit it; you wondered if Velvet Revolver would live to see a second album. Skepticism is an occupational hazard for such supergroups, especially by those whose frontmen have reputations staked in self-destruction. But "Libertad" is one of those sophomore albums that builds on the strengths of the first and offers enough fresh stuff to establish a new standard for the band. The quintet's stock in trade remains such muscular, big-chorus riff-rockers as "Get Out the Door," "Just Sixteen," the Stooges-like "Let It Roll" and the single "She Builds Quick Machines," all vehicles for flash 'n' trash from guitarists Slash and David Kushner. There are also detours into soul ("The Last Fight"), garage rock ("American Man") and Eastern flavors ("She Mine"). A terrible cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out of My Head" is the lone stumble on this thoroughly satisfying second effort.

What's up with people trashing the ELO cover? It sounds fuckin' sweet! :rant:

I thought it was possibly Slash's best effort on the entire album.  But these magazines want to push whatever is new and a cover, by definition, revisits old material.  So...they hate it!  Because if people like it, and then they explore ELO, they might start to like CLASSIC rock, and then they'd realize the shit they're pushing is inferior, and then they'd stop buying these magazines.  Or, at least, that's MY music industry/journalism conspiracy theory.

I have my own theory, I think some of these music critics are a little sheepish of their own musical judgement. So, before they write or post anything they read the general consensus of other reviews. The classic rock magazine being one of the first out the gate, and looking well written, I think they sorta read that and were like "yeah, yeah, that sounds about right"

I like the ELO cover...id put it in the top 5 on the album, i think its the best solo on the album too

Big machine filler?? i rate it as the best non single. its AWESOME.

Libertads sweet, but i dont think it will do very well. No promotion, no hype no nothing is its biggest weakness. They should be playing off guns n roses sucess... but i like it heaps. As good as contraband.

big machine sux :-*

I hate that the people reviewing this album probably haven't heard messages. It is the best new song by far. Songs like this can sway a critic to rate the record even higher. Stupid RCA.

is anyone surprised?
anyone with a tad of taste in music knows that vr blows horseshit.
it's embarrasing to watch but yet i can't look away. it's like watching a trainwreck unfold infront of your eyes.

You suck  :-*

Thanks so much for your insightful comments. ::)

Thanks to Peebs at velvetrevolverforum.com:

New York Post

VELVET REVOLVER "LIBERTAD"
By DAN AQUILANTE


July 1, 2007 -- In the wake of pop?s recent chart domination, there?s been little that?s heavy enough to demand you headbang to the beat. With the release of Velvet Revolver?s towering second CD, ?Libertad,? the drought is over.
The title might be gleaned from various tunes that use freedom as their theme, such as ?Let It Roll,? ?Get Out the Door? and ?American Man.? But it?s also a reference to liberty from both Guns ?N Roses and Stone Temple Pilots, the groups that spawned VR.

Ex-Gunner Slash?s guitar riffs throughout this new record are as aggressive as a caged cat (check out the solo on ?Mary, Mary?), and singer Scott Weiland?s vocals are crisp and controlled yet passionate. When Weiland is singing, you believe him. His delivery here tops his previous work for either VR?s debut or anything in the STP catalog.

I could have done without the cover of ELO?s ?Can?t Get You Out of My Head,? but then again I didn?t like the original, either.

Download: ?Let It Roll?

Velvet Revolver
"Libertad"
RCA

Thanks to M i k e at velvetrevolverforum.com:

The Ottawa Sun

LIBERTAD

Velvets still rock heavy on seocnd disc

By DARRYL STERDAN -- Sun Media


Some bands have all the luck. Velvet Revolver has never been one of those bands.

From the git-go, this supergroup of ex-Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner and three Guns N' Roses alums -- top-hatted guitar hero Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum -- has seemed on the verge of implosion. Overdoses, rehab stints, drug busts, court cases. And that was just Weiland.

While making this sophomore CD, the singer was apparently on good behaviour. But there were still plenty of hassles. The band reportedly had trouble coming up with tunes. They went through two producers (including Rick Rubin) before settling on Brendan O'Brien. Schedules conflicted and time was tight. Both Weiland's and Sorum's brothers died of overdoses. A few members supposedly backslid into some nasty habits. They even ended up dickering with their record label over the choice of single.

But if all that discord, decadence, dissent and disaster had any major effect on Libertad, you'd never know.

The disc dishes up another helping of the same meat 'n' potatoes arena-rock as their 2004 debut Contraband. Maybe it's a little looser and rawer and more spacious, with songs based around grooves and simple riffs instead of Slash's complex fretboard fireworks.
 

But even if doesn't always deliver the same wallop as its predecessor, it's still probably gonna be the guitar-rock record of the summer.

If that's what you've been waiting for, this is your lucky day.

Let it Roll 2:32

As they did on Contraband, the boys bust out of the gate with a hard-driving opener. The descending guitar riff supplies the momentum, while Scott's boomy vocal recalls Jim Morrison.

She Mine 3:24

Here's a change; the band channels the Red Hot Chili Peppers with a funky beat, some wicky-wicky guitars and lyrically flowing verses. The anthemic chorus and bridge bring the rock.

Get Out the Door 3:14

Guitarist Kushner supplied this rubbery riff-rocker, but the rest of the guys punch it up with a plonking cowbell and alien backup vocals. But geez, Slash -- you coulda let Dave do the solo.

She Builds Quick Machines 4:03

The record label pushed the band to pick this Slither-y rocker as the first single. Whatever. We just dig the syncopated guitar interplay -- and the moody middle that sounds like The Who.

The Last Flight 4:03

A martial snare and some of Slash's unmistakable burbling arpeggios introduce this midtempo, surprisingly poppy power ballad. Check out the big backup harmonies.

Pills, Demons & Etc. 2:54

Weiland sings about what he knows, while Slash pumps the wah-wah, scratches out some wicked licks and pushes the band through this dark funk-rock workout.

American Man 3:56

Duff earns his keep on this bass-driven rocker while the guitars jangle and clang on the sidelines. Weiland belts out the CD's biggest chorus, then lays back on a conga-flecked bridge.

Mary Mary 4:33

Sorry, it's not The Monkees tune. It's a swaggering number, driven by a low-rolling beat and big meaty riffs -- and accessorized with another hooky pop chorus and whoo-hoo harmonies.

Just Sixteen 3:58

Weiland sings the praises of a teenage teacher's pet while the band pumps out some chugging retro-rock that splits the diff between Chuck Berry and Buckcherry.

Can't Get it Out of My Head 3:57

Yep, it's a cover of the Electric Light Orchestra classic. Producer O'Brien reportedly suggested it. Not sure why -- but the dusty glam vocal and shimmering guitars speak for themselves.

For a Brother 3:26

The verses have a gritty riff spiked with cowbell and a buzzy countermelody. The chorus is catchy enough, but seems from a different song. The spacey bridge doesn't help.

Spay 3:06

Slash busts out the slide guitar for this fuzzy barnburner. The punchy, offbeat chorus is a killer. Ditto the searing solo.

Gravedancer 4:38

A classic closing power ballad brimming with jangly arpeggios and slowly weeping wah-wah licks. It's a pretty if predictable sendoff. But hang around for the real treat: The hidden track Don't Drop That Dime, a hilarious piece of Stonesy country-honk with acoustic guitars, barrelhouse piano and twangy nasal vocals.

^^^^^^$10 says this guy is on the forum.  His reveiws and comments sound like that of us!  Nice read!

96.. does that mean you were born in that year?

The Ottawa Sun is a rag, but it's cool that they liked the CD

From a danish newspaper...

EB 2/6 stars...

http://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/anmeldelser/musik/article314475.ece  (not nice reading)

All Music Guide 3.5 (of five stars)

Can't stand Erlewine, btw.

Velvet Revolver always seemed like the answer to a quintessential L.A. rock & roll question: what does the engine of Guns N' Roses do when they're left to rust by the side of the road? It was long past the point when Slash, Duff, and Matt Sorum could possibly hope that Axl would abandon Buckethead, Tommy Stinson, and whoever else was toiling away in the studio under the GNR banner and go for a reunion tour, and old rockers need a place to make noise even while they're in the process of fading away, so they started a new band (Izzy may or may not have been invited to the party, but he long ago started following his own path and never seemed interested in coming back into the fold). A band as big as this needed a true star to front it ? a lesson well learned from the charisma-free black hole that was Slash's Snakepit, where the vocalists never could quite spar with the guitarist ? so even if they flirted with Buckcherry's Josh Todd, there really was only one choice to fill the singer's slot and that was Scott Weiland, who wasn't abandoned from his own imploding band, Stone Temple Pilots, as much as alienated from them due to a combination of ego and excess. A band in search of a singer, a singer in search of a band, both parties calling Los Angeles their home, both well-known for their all-encompassing love of rock & roll debauchery ? it seemed like nothing could go wrong.As it turned out, nothing quite went unquestionably right, either, as their 2004 debut, Contraband, met the GNR-meets-STP expectations but never transcended them. It was far from a flop ? selling millions around the world ? but it wasn't quite compelling either, partially because it was too easy to hear the separation between Slash's sleazoid blooze riffs and Weiland's hazily psychedelic melodies, and they had yet to find a common ground apart from a handful of songs. Despite this, it was hard not to feel some affection for Velvet Revolver, since they were so unrepentant in their love for old-school rock & roll theater, and also since they were driven by Slash and Duff, two of the most lovable characters in '80s hard rock, and there was a certain joy to hearing them play again on a big stage where they belong. But the key problem with Velvet Revolver is that the GNR aesthetic doesn't quite gel with Weiland. If GNR are the kind of band all rock fans feel good about loving, Weiland is the kind of frontman who gets grudging respect; it's possible to love his music, particularly the irresistible swirling melodies, without really loving him. A large part of this is that he exudes a reptilian coldness that doesn't thaw even when paired with the big, blowsy rock of Slash and Duff, but instead of giving the music tension it just means that it doesn't quite gel, since both parties play to their strengths instead of finding a collective sound.

That's as true on their second album, 2007's Libertad, as it was on Contraband, but this record is more cohesive than the debut, partially due to the presence of Weiland's old STP producer, Brendan O'Brien, who lends the recording color and texture that enhances the melodies while still giving the guitars considerable muscle. O'Brien amplifies the energy for both the singer and the band and, taken on their own terms, they sound quite good. Weiland gets off some great tunes (as on the "Days of the Week" sequel "She Mine"); sometimes the band dominates (as on "Spay") and sometimes everything suddenly clicks (as on the relentless opener, "Let It Roll," where both parties shine). Too often, though, there are concessions between Weiland and the others during the course of a song, with the bandmembers getting to ride their riffs during the verse, then fading into the background as Weiland delivers a chorus that is indelibly his own, as on "She Builds Quick Machines," which seesaws between the two extremes. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because both camps are good at what they do and the individual pieces of the songs are pretty enjoyable, but as Libertad rolls on, it's hard not to wish that Velvet Revolver buckled down and acted like a band, finding a way to fuse their two aesthetics into a whole, instead of stroking their individual egos by indulging in what they're good at.

Of course, indulgence is the very reason the band exists: it's what made them stars, and without GNR or STP around, all the guys in this band need some outlet for their energies (which may only be partially musical). And in that regard, Velvet Revolver fulfill a need for the bandmembers, but also for an audience that is craving rock & roll that is proudly about good times ? an audience that is not insubstantial in 2007, but is poorly served. Libertad won't necessarily provide that audience with lasting sustenance, but it is a quick enough fix of old-fashioned rock & roll hedonism that does do its job reasonably well, as it has the riffs and melodies to please, even if they're not quite pulled together as full-fledged songs. And that's all down to the band acting as a group of stars instead of a group ? the charisma of each individual bandmember still shines brightly, but if they can funnel that into some kind of group charisma next time around, they might finally have an album that lives up to their past instead of merely doing no disservice to it.

  ::) Whatever Ereladick.

He only got his gig at the AMG because his uncle runs it, btw.

It's an ok review, but more a review of the band's history than of the album, which is only about 1/3 of the write up. 

I generally like his reviews, but this one is slightly disappointing.  That he doesnt like the album as much as I do isnt the issue, its his lack of details on the actual songs.  Im also puzzled by his description of Contraband - "sleazoid blooze riffs?"  "Hazily psychedelic melodies?"  Thats not what I hear on that album. 

He?s extremely pretentious. And I think he often gives a CD a superficial listening, and then just pulls a lot of? pseudo-intellectual mumbo-jumbo out of his ass. Plus his reviews are often written in an overly academic styling. He thinks he?s just sooooo smart and I find him to be obnoxious and full 0f himself.? ?

What the fuck does "sleazoid blooze riffs?"? and? "Hazily psychedelic melodies" mean anyway?

(http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp500/p573/p57389ddfeg.jpg)

^Douche

One thing he got right was his opinion of Let It Roll.  But this guy is a major clown.  The review from Ottowa or wherever is much better.

New York Times

VELVET REVOLVER
?Libertad?
(RCA)

Velvet Revolver is: 1. a middle-aged hard-rock supergroup; 2. the flagship band of the fifth decade of Hollywood rock; and 3. releasing its second album. It is awfully hard for this group, starting from any one of those terms, to feel free, even if it?s going to make a record called ?Libertad.?

?Libertad? sounds old, heavy, wrapped in a tough skin. At the same time, by virtue of sheer outdated flamboyance, it seems almost willfully na?ve. Experience here starts to take on characteristics of innocence.

Scott Weiland, the singer, compounds various kinds of rock-star affect, from Iggy Pop to David Bowie to Kurt Cobain; Slash, the lead guitarist, plays with a heavy hand and a light imagination. The album?s sound and songwriting fuse together the work of hard-rock bands that have pop-radio hits, including Aerosmith, Van Halen and Nirvana. Those groups had a foundation of youthful craziness, but this one is founded in caution; the joy in these songs usually comes with a warning.

Most of them ? if the bad lyrics can be parsed ? are about various kinds of need. (As one song title puts it, ?Pills, Demons & Etc.?) The members of Velvet Revolver ? Mr. Weiland, once of Stone Temple Pilots; Slash, the bassist Duff McKagan and the drummer Matt Sorum, all, during various periods, of Guns N? Roses; and the guitarist Dave Kushner, once of Wasted Youth ? have a fairly decent knowledge of substance abuse. Drugs crop up here and there as perfect deceitful enemies, the kind that promise escape, but then take your family away.

Let?s see: drugs, rock ?n? roll and... right, sex. This music is pole-dancer rock with lyrics haunted by lips and legs and sexy-lethal dancers. Does the record contain a fantasy about a boy getting intimate with his high school teacher? And does that same song have glammed-up Chuck Berry licks in its guitar solo? Yes ma?am to both, in ?Just Sixteen.? Does the album have another about being almost fooled by a transvestite hooker on Sunset Boulevard? Sure. How about vaguely critical songs about American entitlement, which manage to be both castigating and pompous? Why not? It?s a free country. BEN RATLIFF

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/02/arts/music/02choi.html

Oh my. I really don't like reviews like that. It doesn't really tell you a whole lot about the album. It's just some guy attempting to sound witty.

Honestly, a good amazon review is a lot more informative and useful.

I have to agree with this guy's assesments of Contraband and of Weiland.  While I don't agree that there was necessarily a push and pull between Weiland and the band during the songs, I feel that there were times when Slash was allowed to shine more than others and that it wasn't necessarily consistent from song to song.

Ali

I wish this guy would've described the songs more.  Same thing for the AMG guy.

Ali

Chicago Tribune

Velvet Revolver
Supergroup makes music by the numbers
By Kirk Miller
 
ALBUM: "Libertad" (RCA)
Stars: 2 out of 5

The backstory: It's the second album by the world's most unlikely supergroup?one-fifth 90s grunge (ex-Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland), three-fifths classic Guns N Roses (Slash, Duff, Matt Sorum) and, uh, one-fifth guitarist Dave Kushner.

Why you should care: For better or worse, "Libertad" wallows in nostalgia. Yes, Slash's guitar solos are still slithery beasts, albeit straight outta "Appetite For Destruction." And while Weiland may inject a little more swagger into his vocals, his growl is pleasantly familiar. It actually fits the classic rock/hair metal style of VR better than when he was pretending to be Eddie Vedder. That said, this is simply rock by the numbers, whether that means overuse of cowbell ("For a Brother") or an intricate examination of sex-car relationships ("She Builds Quick Machines")

The verdict: A competent, oddly reverential take on classic Sunset Strip metal from the '80s. A shame they forgot to write a hook.

The X-factor: Track eight, "Mary Mary," is neither the Monkees nor the Run-DMC tune. It's actually a rather boring piece of psychedelic rock.

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/music/natent-music-cdreview-velvetrevolver-s,0,4927245.story?coll=mmx-music_leftutility

Yahoo gave it a damn good review today.

I don't know where to start....did this guy even listen to the album?

Hook--see "Mary Mary"

Now that the album is out, MetaCritic.com will start to round up all the reviews and put them in one place with a scoring for the CD (out of 100)...

So far they've only collected 4 (EW, Billboard, Amazon and Blender)... right now the album is rated 84/100 which qualifies as Universal Acclaim, but this will likely drop once a few more reviews are added.

Contraband finished with a 65.  Here's a link to the Libertad reviews:

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/velvetrevolver/libertad

They include Amazon.com reviews (an average, I assume)?  Talk about your selection bias.

Somewhere on the website there is a description of how they determine the rankings... Certain reviews carry a heavier weighting based on credibility.  Regardless, it's an easy way to read a bunch of album reviews.

That's good, and I'm not saying it's unfair in favor of Libertad, because they presumably include Amazon reviews for ALL albums, but it's a good way to skew it toward the high end.

The All Music Guide Review pretty much nailed it on the head. I have basically said the same thing since CB.

thats vrs fault. when are they gonna take responsibility for there own band?? You have 3 accomplished big name players if they used there voice things would go there way.
Next album title should be Albums: This Version, That Version , All Colors , Etc

I would have to say I agree with the AMG writer as well.  :-\ All the songs on Contraband and Libertad just leave me kind of ambivalent, even Messages. I don't hate them, don't really like them, don't see any real weaknesses, but don't see any real strengths either. Of course, my dislike for Weiland colors my opinion a little, but I don't consider him the problem. The whole package just doesn't do it for me.

The RS review should be up soon. I'd like to see that.

^^Rolling Stone?s Joe Levy and Jenny Eliscu tell you all you need to know about the new discs from the former American Idol star and Scott Weiland and the gang.


http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/03/new-music-tuesdays-velvet-revolver-kelly-clarkson/

At about 3:30

Damn thing stops halfway through.

Damn, those two are just charismatic as hell. Scott who?

the weak songs on this record like just sixteen...., right there goes all credibility

Well you can't review an album based on songs that didn't make it onto the album you're reviewing....





/jarmo

That's the point he was making  ???

He hates the fact that the reviewers haven't heard a non-album tracks because he thinks it's great.

If they heard it, it wouldn't really change the album reviews since it's not on the US CD version.  ???






/jarmo

Therefore it should be on the album! It's almost like his post contained a hidden message...

Well, it's not....

And he blames the record company.

Who says they decided to not include it on the album? Is there a quote about that somewhere?




/jarmo

Jarmo, did you get you copy yet?  Hurry up!

No, not yet.



/jarmo

Thanks to Zint61 at Mygnrforum.com:

San Fancisco Examiner

(http://sfgate.com/templates/types/entertainment/graphics/littleman/4.0.gif)

Velvet Revolver

Velvet Revolver just might single-handedly bring back arena rock. From lead singer Scott Weiland's pained, anxious vocals to Slash's epic guitar splatter and Matt Sorum's solid trash-can drumming, this super group made up of the high-profile remains of Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots has finally forged an identity of its own. While 2004's "Contraband" was a flashy beginning, grafting Weiland's elegant glam-rock sneer to the GNR behemoth sound, it emphasized the great divide between STP's post-grungy sound and Guns N' Roses' reckless '80s stylings. On "Libertad," the musicians have closed that gap and gelled into a heaving, strutting rock dirigible that doesn't hark back to their parent bands. Weiland thrills with his romantic fixations and fascination with Jim Morrison on "Let It Roll," which references the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues." "She Mine" is a dissonant rant that reminds one how dangerous rock can be, with its metaphysical hazards and obsessions -- something that has characterized the best rock bands, from the Rolling Stones to the Stooges to the Strokes. On "Libertad," that mania doesn't seem forced. There's a lazy cool about most of these songs that grows like the mounting ash on the end of Slash's ever-present cigarette. -- Jaan Uhelszki

-----

Thanks to Peebs at velvetrevolverforum.com:

Buzzcuts/CBSNews.com

Velvet Revolver, "Libertad" (RCA)

Supergroups don't tend to fare too well with legions of rock fans, but Velvet Revolver has worked the idea to near perfection on its sophomore effort, "Libertad."

Perhaps the title shows a desire to free themselves from the expectations raised by their former bands ? Guns N' Roses for guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum, and Stone Temple Pilots for vocalist Scott Weiland.

Either way, it works, and much more than it did on their respectable multiplatinum 2004 debut "Contraband."

They flex plenty of muscle throughout, with chugging rock and blues riffs mixed with soaring choruses. And, of course, there are a few lighter-waving arena ballads thrown in for good measure.

"Let it Roll," "She Mine" and "Get Out The Door" kick the disc off in rollicking fashion. They also show plenty of grit with "Mary Mary," "Spay" and "Pills, Demons and Etc."

Low-key moments come with the uplifting "The Last Fight," a surprisingly fresh cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" and the trippy blues of "Gravedancer."

With the Guns N' Roses boys still ripping out down-and-dirty barroom rock, and Weiland commanding and energetic throughout, "Libertad" might just be the rock record of the summer.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Boasting a juicy riff and possibly Weiland's finest vocal effort on the whole disc, "She Builds Quick Machines" contains a perfect dose of rocking swagger. (John Kosik)

Thanks to thecrackedjack at velvetrevolverforum.com:

IGN.com

Velvet Revolver - Libertad Review
Contraband redux.
by Spence D.

July 2, 2007 - For their sophomore effort the supergroup comprised of ex-members of STP and GnR once again bring the hard-driving post-millennial barroom brawl inducing rock thematics, especially apparent on the opening salvo "Let It Roll," which has Scott Weiland delivering what sounds like a balls-to-the-wall sequel to The Cars classic "Candy-O." Huh? For some reason even though the VR song is entitled "Let It Roll" Weiland prefers to chant "candy-o" at high volume while Slash and Dave Kushner grind and crunch amidst Duff McKagen and Matt Sorum's streamlined rhythm cavalcade.

"She Mine" continues the themes of sultry femme fatales with Weiland once again referencing the word "candy," this time making an allusion to pill-popping excess. The repeated title refrain is mesmerizing in an annoyingly cloying way thanks to heavily induced nasal twang. Meanwhile "Get Out the Door," continues Weiland's snarling swagger dripping with double-crunch guitar and pounding rhythms. The chorus is pretty sweet, though, providing the album's first hints of a hit sounding melee on semi-par with "Fall To Pieces," but the song never quite reaches those heights. That said, bonus points are collected due to the incredibly timely Transformers reference, even if the line "like Transformers, girl is more than meets the eye," is ultimately cheesy.

The album's first bona fide single, "She Builds Quick Machines" doesn't change tack much; the themes are still centered around fast love and divisive sexuality. The group keeps things chugging along at V-8 injected steamroller intensity, guitars skirling and rhythms cranking kinetically while Weiland makes nods to "the all-night sex show" and other delusions of sinful city life. I'm sure this track will be a hit on the strip club circuit as it has that slick sensuality about it that screams out like a lap dance soundtrack from the sweaty underbelly. Oddly enough at times Weiland ditches his patented snarl and gravel voiced basso in favor of an almost Perry Farrellesque wail.

By the time the group has hit the mid-point of the album with "The Last Fight," it's pretty much the type of album you expected it to be. It's less an improvement on Contraband than an extension which at times begins to sound an awful lot like leftovers and outtakes from that first effort. That isn't to say that there isn't some gloriousness to root around for and this track is a prime example. A down-tempo neo-ballad, it showcases the group's softer side with Weiland crooning rustically and delivering a somewhat introspective little ditty that sounds plucked from the '80s.

Shades of lives past rear their ugly heads on "Pills, Demons & Etc." seems to make reference to the collective group's notorious drug history. The cascading guitars and "whoo-ooh-oohs" are nice, but the overall song itself is lacking any serious melodic drive. Conversely "American Man" begins low and slow and builds up with finger licking intensity rather quickly. Weiland croons and swoons over shifting desert mirage guitars and castanets to create a somewhat dreamy expanse of soniference. The chorus, however, is at odds with the rest of the track, as well as the screaming guitar solo that bursts free of the otherwise illuminating nuance.

Lyrically speaking "Mary Mary" sounds like a cross between a slick punk toss away and a junior high school band's first flirtation with lyrical inspiration (the girl in the title being such). Follow that up with "Just Sixteen," which succumbs to one of the most tired rock clich?s of all time: singing about a sultry teen that is older beyond her years. Weiland does his best The Knack blitz making "we've got nothing to hide-hide-hide-hide" reverberate with nods to "My Sharona." Again, as with most of the tracks included here the chorus and verses never seem to mesh. In this case the song rocks on the verses and then falls apart during the second part of the chorus following the cool "hide" echo spasms.

VR dip into strange territory with a cover of "Can't Get Out of My Head," which thoroughly tosses the original out the window and makes it their very own. This is exactly what a cover should be, keeping a fragment of the source material intact while turning the bulk of the song into one of your own. It's sad that the best track on the album is a cover, though. But what a glorious cover this is, complete with over-the-top guitar posturing and an unbridled sense of what rock 'n roll is meant to be. Nice.

Tumultuous blues excursions go awry on "For a Brother," which has Weiland snarling immaculate on the verses and then shifting the melodic wonderment of the song into somewhat dissonant banter on the chorus. Why, I don't know, but this track (along with a few others strewn throughout the album) makes me think of Night Ranger circa 1982 albeit sans any synth embellishment. Just when you think this song is falling apart, Weiland and company break and release a nice little down-tempo "jam" complete with growling intonations of the word "free" and some sweet swatches of guitar. This little interlude ultimately saves the song from obscurity.

With "Spay" it begins with a cacophony of guitars and rhythms creating the kind of dreaded chaos you can only imagine goes through a dog or cat's mind when they're splayed out on the cold steel of the veterinarian's table with the scissors snipping wickedly in the near distance. It's a driving, maniacal number that shows VR kicking out the jams and being wickedly raucous and raw. Call it a nice diversion from the rest of the album if you will.

The album concludes with "Grave Dancer." Weiland's voice is front and center, delivering a mid-tempo croon that creates an introspective and mellow vibe. Naturally, the song focuses on a woman, which has been the dominant theme throughout. Regardless of the somewhat repetitive subject matter, the song succeeds thanks to a perfect melding between Weiland's smooth yet gruff vocals and the rest of the band's expertise at delivering taught musicality at half speed. This is a near-classic, at least for this band.

For the most part Libertad doesn't feel or sound like Velvet Revolver has made much forward headway since last time around. A large chunk of the music here seems as if the quintet just sloughed through the motions they first detailed on Contraband. All the parts are here: tight rhythms grind and crunch guitar expansion, melodic vocals that switch on a dime between sweetly hardened harmonies and growling guttural blitz, yet they never quite seem to coalesce into an inescapably brilliant package. Granted, there are moments of near-brilliance (the ELO cover, "Grave Dancer") as well as moments of hell-bent venting ("Spay") that manage to keep things interesting, but for the most part all the aforementioned elements just seem to flit and float through the album with a slight sense of aimless intent. Perhaps this will be one of those slow burn albums that eventually grows on you with repeated listens. But first impressions don't lead me to believe so.

Definitely Download:
1. "Get Out The Door"
2. "The Last Fight"
3. "Can't Get Out of My Head"
4. "Spay"
5. "Grave Dancer"

Rating: 6.9/10

Thanks to Peebs at velvetrevolverforum.com:

New York Daily News

Velvet Revolver has a new album out.

They still pose as outlaws, with guitarist Slash always slouching his body into a swaggering satire of Keith Richards and loose-cannon singer Scott Weiland continuing to bulk up his impressively lengthy criminal record. (Most recent charge: trashing a hotel room.) But the music on Velvet Revolver's second CD shows they've toned things down in a key way.

"Libertad" hones a controlled sense of melody above all. It's still a heavy metal record, mind you, with Slash's guitars piling it on thick while Matt Sorum's drums bulkily pound away behind. But the catchiness of the songs trumps any metallic window dressing. If you lifted a layer of bottom off the sound, "Libertad" could even be considered a fairly good power pop record. And that's nothing to sneer at.

"Libertad" represents a great leap forward in craft from Velvet Revolver's debut, 2004's laughably titled "Contraband." That first CD bore all the signs of VR's crass creation. Remember, these guys were as much a corporate merger as a group, aligning the three main musicians from the spent Guns N' Roses (Slash, Sorum and bassist Duff McKagan) with the singer of the fracturing Stone Temple Pilots (Weiland).

The music managed to mingle the worst elements of both. Corny L.A. metal cliches ruled both the music and the words. This time, such tics have been kept to a minimum - at least in the tunes. Lyrically, you've still got songs burdened with titles that even seem bored with themselves. See: "Pills, Demons & Etc." Yet the music makes it sound like the band has been freed of something weighty.

"Mary Mary" (dedicated to Weiland's wife, who recently got arrested for setting his clothes on fire), is as bubblegum catchy as the Monkees song of the same name. "American Man" could be some lost answer to the Guess Who's "American Woman." The band even throws itself entirely into pop with a cover of the ELO touchstone "Can't Get It Out of my Head."

There's also a "hidden" country track that sounds remarkably credible, despite Weiland's self-deprecating delivery. As usual, Weiland's performance suggests he could set a Guinness Book record for karaoke wins. Here he channels everyone from Jim Morrison to Eddie Vedder.

Ultimately, though, Velvet Revolver has come up witha sound that's pretty much their own. It may be light and inconsequential. But its sense of fun can't be denied.

Of course I blame the record company because I like to believe that Slash, Duff, ect are smart enough to know that they have a great song in Messages. Record execs are notorious for keeping certain songs off albums for reasons like feel, pacing, ect....Hello.... Don't Cry was left off Appetite and so was November Rain for these reasons......Tell me you have heard this song Jarmo? I know you hate VR but this song shows so much of what made Slash such an important part of GNR........

My local paper gave it 3/5 i'll maybe translate it later.. it was quite something

I think if you're a rock fan looking for some decent music in an age of so so music this definetly livens things up.. I really enjoy the playing, the catchy tunes, and weiland's voice sounds great.. Nice to see they survived turmoil and addiction.. :beer: Messages is a hell of a tune, shame it didn't make it..  let it roll is damn cool..

Aftonbladet (Sweden's biggest newspaper, the same guy gave Contraband 4/5): 2/5

Don't have the paper here, but he said Just 16 was the best track.





/jarmo

Sputnik Music (via Metacritic):

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=12672

3.5

by Dave de Sylvia STAFF (114 Reviews)

2007-07-06

Listening to Velvet Revolver?s new album Libertad, it?s more apparent than ever that, as a singer, Scott Weiland sounds infinitely more comfortable atop his current group?s compact, dynamic hard rock arrangements than he ever did with his one-time cohorts in Stone Temple Pilots. While the DeLeo brothers continue to make a hell of a racket with Filter?s Richard Patrick in Army Of Anyone, Weiland often appeared lost in the expanse between the brothers? spacious, Sabbath-inspired riffs; the archetypal singer of instinct, it often felt with STP as if Scott had too much time to think. Almost without exception, the best-remembered Stone Temple Pilots tracks remain the ones which broke this mould: ?Sex Type Thing?; ?Crackerman?; ?Interstate Love Song.? Now, with three former members of Guns N? Roses and an LA punk stalwart to back him, Weiland appears in his element, even more so here than on the cobbled-together debut Contraband.

Contraband?s many flaws were immediate and apparent: as early as the second track the lack of sonic diversity was apparent, and Josh Abraham?s (Static-X, Limp Bizkit) streamlined, muddy production did little to highlight the instrumental prowess of Slash & Co. With producer Brendan O?Brien, overseer of all five Stone Temple Pilots releases, in tow both problems have been rectified- Libertad is simultaneously more cohesive and more diverse than Contraband; for the first time, Velvet Revolver sound like a band rather than ?Guns N? Roses with Scott Weiland.? If anything, the album is too accommodating of the singer- the hard hitting instrumental section remains, arguably, the band?s greatest asset and, while Duff McKagan?s thumping bass is too often conspicuously hidden in the mix, guitarist Slash and drummer Matt Sorum appear oddly restrained, exhibiting little of the playful indulgence which made tracks like ?Set Me Free? and ?Slither? so exciting.

For the most part, the compromise between the two poles yields satisfactory results. Lead single ?She Builds Quick Machine? is obviously tailored for radio, similar in structure and sound to Contraband?s ?Slither,? boasting a sultry, lustrous middle section which culminates in a firework-display solo from the bepermed one, while anti-drug rocker ?Pills, Demons & Etc.? (never use a comma when an ampersand will do) recalls Jimmy Page with a wah-assisted boogie guitar riff and Bono-inspired coo-ing from the singer. Token ballad ?The Last Fight? has shades of The Wildhearts? ?Lily?s Garden? and the Marvelous 3?s ?This Time,? telling the story of a soldier who leaves for the front lines on bad terms with his significant other and all the ominous conclusions it entails; unlike Contraband?s ballads, however, ?The Last Fight? avoids standard rock ballad clich?s, climaxing with additional layers of backing vocals rather than progressively loudening guitars ? la ?Fall To Pieces.?

Thematically, Libertad presents little outside of the ordinary: both Weiland?s brother Michael and Sorum?s brother Daniel died from separate drug overdoses during the recording of the album: ?For A Brother? and ?Pills, Demons & Etc.? are dedicated to the brothers? alternating paths with regards to the demon drug. Weiland also finds time to comment on the state of the nation, decrying modern America?s misguided sense of entitlement on the Rubber Soul-inspired rocker ?American Man? and politely inviting the Paris Hiltons and Lindsay Lohans of this world to neuter themselves for the greater good in the hilarious Rose Tattoo-meets-Johnny Rotten punk rock number ?Spay.? Righteous anger aside, Weiland still manages to take things down to a personal level, taking a page out of his own diary with the Stonesy ?Mary Mary? (his wife?s name), the empathetic bonus track ?Messages,? which is inspired by reports of phone calls home from the doomed United Airlines Flight 93, and the aforementioned ?The Last Fight.?

Yet where Libertad succeeds, it also disappoints. Weiland?s never quite regained his lyrical mojo since the troubled latter days of STP- limiting himself in recent years to the occasional irreverent classic like ?went too fast, I?m outta luck and I don?t even give a fuck? and ?somebody raped my tapeworm abortion?- and Libertad does little to redress the balance; even well-meaning ballads like ?The Last Fight? and ?Messages? come across a little foolhardy, and ?sister keeps her motor clean? (from ?She Builds Quick Machines?) was a terrible line when AC/DC coined it thirty years ago, and posterity has done it few favours. ?For A Brother? is affectionate but unrefined, boasting the sole hastily-assembled chorus of the record, while ?Fall To Pieces?-pastiche ?Gravedancer,? ?American Man? and ELO cover ?Can?t Get It Out Of My Head? pass by without leaving much of an impression, though the latter cover is delivered with a refreshing lack of irony (not to mention Slash?s best performance), symptomatic of the earnest, fun-loving spirit which permeates each of the band?s recordings.

Special mention must be made for Libertad?s opening trio: ?Let It Roll,? ?She Mine? and ?Get Out The Door,? and standout old-time rocker ?Just Sixteen.? ?Get Out The Door,? composed by guitarist Dave Kushner, is the obvious choice for a third single (following the obligatory ballad), juxtaposing a fuzzy, hard rock verse with a funky, dance-floor friendly chorus. ?Let It Roll? is an appropriately brainless blues-rocker to open the rocker, allowing Weiland to show off his cocksure Jim Morrisson-inspired brogue, while ?She Mine? and ?Just Sixteen? juxtapose Chuck Berry-style rhythms and blues licks with sugar-laden pop chorus about bi-polar disorders and horny teachers respectively. Libertad, regrettably, can?t sustain the quality of the above tracks over forty-five minutes- but a handful of jukebox-friendly hard rock tracks and a thoroughly replayable album is almost as good an outcome as could be expected from this group of aging rockers.

Where the hell is the Rolling Stone review?

Interesting timing.  Today, before reading this review, I was listening to STP ("Army Ants," in particular) and made the same observation about their music - Eric Kretzs giant drumming and the DeLeos riffs ("spacious" was the exact word I had in mind, too).  However, I reached the opposite conclusion: that Weiland sounded perfect over it. 

Good review, though I disagree with a good deal of it.

That's a pretty well written review, though the author goes a bit overboard trying to come up with a comparison for each song. 

"recalls Jimmy Page with a wah-assisted boogie guitar riff and Bono-inspired coo-ing from the singer"

"has shades of The Wildhearts? ?Lily?s Garden? and the Marvelous 3?s ?This Time,?"

"Rubber Soul-inspired rocker"

"hilarious Rose Tattoo-meets-Johnny Rotten punk rock number"

"with the Stonesy"

"was a terrible line when AC/DC coined it thirty years ago"

"cocksure Jim Morrisson-inspired brogue"

"juxtapose Chuck Berry-style rhythms"

He sounds like a know-it-all asshole and I'm forced to wonder if he constantly criticizes his mother for giving him "an Eve inspired birth." 

I like that he discusses most (all?) of the songs, but you get the impression that the guy thinks it's all been done before, in which case I'm forced to wonder why the Hell is he a music reviewer?

[quote author=freedom78 link=topic=47146.msg965582#msg965582 date=118377





He sounds like a know-it-all asshole and I'm forced to wonder if he constantly criticizes his mother for giving him "an Eve inspired birth."?

I like that he discusses most (all?) of the songs, but you get the impression that the guy thinks it's all been done before, in which case I'm forced to wonder why the Hell is he a music reviewer?



now thats fucking funny!


[/quote]

This reviewer seems to be living in the past...which is not fair for a review of music in the present.

From The Miami Herald

VELVET REVOLVER
Libertad
RCA

** ?

Libertad -- Spanish for freedom -- is a curious title for a rock album that has little to do with politics, performed by musicians who will likely never be free from their pasts. Velvet Revolver, now on its second album, features singer Scott Weiland, formerly of '90s hard rock band Stone Temple Pilots, and the core of the much-missed Guns N' Roses (guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum) with Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner.

Libertad doesn't give recovering addict Weiland much freedom from his past, either. Songs like Pills, Demons & Etc., could be referencing Weiland's brother Michael, who died in March from a drug overdose. ''You bought a ticket to the one place that I won't be going to visit,'' a wiser Weiland sings. Elsewhere, Libertad also suffers from the singer's affected mannerisms -- vocally and lyrically -- that dominated STP and tend to limit Velvet Revolver's potential to impress in the way Guns N' Roses once did.

Libertad's undeniably catchy hard rock lacks the breadth and nerve of GN'R's best moments, and it isn't until an unbilled, rootsy bonus track that the band shows true musical reach. But sometimes, especially in the summer, it's OK to just cut loose with a loud, PG-13 rock record, and this one will do just fine. Velvet Revolver gets by on Slash's distinctive guitar riffage, one of rock's most familiar sounds, and the hard foundation of McKagan and Sorum's rhythm section. The songs on Libertad may not endure, and some are derivative -- the chorus of Mary Mary recalls The Rolling Stones' Little T&A, and a cover of Electric Light Orchestra's Can't Get It Out of My Head is hamfisted -- but for a crisply-played, turn-it-up disc, Libertad's acceptable.

Pod Picks:Let It Roll, She Mine.

http://www.miamiherald.com/277/story/160804.html

Keep in mind that these are generally people with little talent.  So, they think of an angle and, whether it fits or not, attempt to make their review conform to it.  This writer's angle was "freedom from the past," as if STP, GNR, or anyone's OD'd brother somehow make something relevant or irrelevant. 

It's the norm, sadly.

I have no probelems with objecticity, but it seems that many of these reviewers are finding faults with nonexistent things. If you like rock n roll, how could you not like this album? Jeez!

Simple, it just flat out isn't very good.  I have hundreds of albums to choose from when I want to listen to rock.  I didn't find anything on Libertad that makes me interested in listening to it.  I listened to it repeatedly for about a week to see if it would grow, but the album is completely lacking in the lyric and idea department and the going through the motions nature of the music just doesn't capture the imagination in any way.  It's a dull album that in my opinion is seriously lacking swagger, charm and balls, three things that are absolutely vital to making a successful straight forward hard rock album

They wouldn't really be critics if they liked everything, would they?

Thing is, Reviewers hear the album once and review it


Personally, If I had reviewed Libertad after one listen I would've given it a 5 out of 10 or about 2 stars as on the first listen I thought it totally sucked.



Now however after about 5 listens, I would give it a 7.5 out of 10


or around 3 stars out of 5.

Its a good album now.

As I listen to the album I find that I enjoy it with the underlying sense that there is nothing
particularly developed about the music and agree with most of the reviews I've read.? However as
a primarily "Slash fan" I get a little smile every time I read in almost every review that Slash's
playing was fantastic.? But would I expect anything less? ? ? ?

The most positive review I've seen in Sweden is from Helsingborgs Dagblad; 4/5.

http://hd.se/noje/skivor/2007/07/06/velvet-revolver-traeffar-raett/

Where is the Rolling Stone review? They jsut reviewed the new Pumpkins, and that came out two leaks later!

same goes to Q magazine... can?t find any review on the album.

That really is weird. I was thinking the same thing yesterday

I just checked the rolling stone website and theres still no review for libertad. That doesn't make a lick of sense. I thought maybe it was missed or never posted here but it seems like there really is none.

Rolling Stone just put out a big 40th anniversary issue and thus skipped one of their biweekly issues (they do this twice a year I think).  There new issue should be out any day and I would expect it to have a review.  They often don't put all the reviews on the website until the magazine is on the newstands.

Looks like they updated the reviews yesterday?  This is the only "review" they have done so far...

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/03/new-music-tuesdays-velvet-revolver-kelly-clarkson/

I can't believe this is all.

From antimusic.com

The big question though: Is Velvet Revolver now firing blanks? The band's sophomore album, "Libertad," debuted last week at No. 5 with disappointing sales of 92,000 copies but the second week saw them drop 16 places to No. 21 with sales of just 33,000. Maybe their PR people should have responded to those requests for reviews?

I don't think any review could increase the sales.
The "supergroup" hype has worn off and the mediocrity of the album doesn't help. Don't get me wrong, I think the album is quite good, but it just isn't what people we're expecting after 'Contraband'.

Really?

So could you tell me what I was exactly supposed to expect?

..as I'm liking this album very much and I think quite of many are liking this album

Who are  "people"? That phrase is meaningless.
It  is not a mediocre  album at all.
It is not a classic--there are few classic  albums. If classic  was the norm, then classic would not be special.
But the album is far above average, even really good. Even very good. Slash's words  were "amazing." I have a problem with the use of that word today and am not sure  what it  means. But certainly most  people with any musical taste whatsoever would agree the album is not mediocre.

Why are "people" so critical, especially in this environment  of 99% of rock is pure  shit. I mean: PURE SHIT.

here's the rs review by david fricke...

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/15258013/libertad

Velvet Revolver are an impressive act of defiance: a band of old-school bad boys from twentieth-century megagroups who make a rocket-guitar racket that is more compelling than most current woe-is-me punk and emo. The blitz in "Let It Roll," "Get Out the Door" and "Pills, Demons & Etc." may be second nature to guys who did time in Guns n' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots, but there is plenty of thrill in the fuzz-lined hard-rubber bends of Slash's guitar breaks and the way bassist Duff McKagan keeps time, like a cop swinging a billy club. There is honest depth here too. Since Velvet Revolver's first album, 2004's Contraband, singer Scott Weiland lost his brother to a drug overdose - a tragedy deeply etched into Weiland's fallen-dandy howl in "For a Brother," the deceptively grand ballad "The Last Fight" and, strangely, the cover of ELO's "Can't Get It Out of My Head," which may be Weiland's way of describing the daily battles he still fights with his own dark impulses.

DAVID FRICKE

3.5 stars

So does this VR review appear in the "Appetite turns 20" issue of RS?  Maybe they held off for that reason?

I think it's because the last issue was a stupid Summer of Love '67 issue that had no new reviews in it.  RS might be going a little overboard on the retrospectives but I won't complain since its Guns this time.

Fair review.  David Fricke is a pretty fair reviewer, very knowledgeable too.  Glad he reviewed the album, not one of their smartass pricks that likes to see how creative he can get with an insult.

Ali

Tuesday July 31, 2007 @ 08:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

VELVET REVOLVER Libertad (RCA/Sony BMG)

Not as boring as Audioslave, as pretentious as Satellite Party or as lame as The Panic Channel (and let's not even touch Rock Star Supernova), Velvet Revolver ? the only mainstream rock supergroup left standing ? continue to assert their own relevance, even if those left listening are Slash devotees and cougars who love Scott Weiland. At least the band know their audience. The opening of "Pills, Demons & Etc." is so '80s rifftastic that you almost expect Axl to come in caterwauling during the first verse. Too bad we instead get a crooning Weiland, who sounds less edgy than ever. Given the members' pedigrees (and notable past infamies), VR don't exactly benefit from this level of sonic sheen. They ought to be the aural equivalent of a big, rumbling, scuffed-up motorcycle. Instead, they're a shiny, souped-up Camaro. What horrors hath detox (and possibly ProTools) wrought on our gritty hard-rock heroes? Bring back the filth and the fury!

Caitlin Hotchkiss

There a decent band, and Libertad is a decent album especially with Messages on it.  It's hard to re-create what STP did, or what the old GNR did.  Axl's took the new GNR songs in a completely different direction then just making a rock song.  VR it seems to me is trying to keep that rock alive but its just not getting the response they thought.  Media reviews however don't mean shit to me, if you like the album then like it, if you dont like it then dont like.  To me its a decent album/

This reviewer feels "The band actually sounds fantastic" and "The blame must goes to the material".  This review is dated today?


Oct 2, 2007 9:58
Disc Reviews
By DAVID BRINN

VELVET REVOLVER
Libertad
(NMC)

Velvet Revolver plays it safe on their second disc Libertad. The would-be supergroup, featuring Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland and three ex-Gun & Roses members - guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum - stay away from any volatile edges their former bands skirted with and stick firmly with tried and true "middle of the riff" rockers.

The strange thing is that both of the mother bands had loads of personality and attitude, while this second marriage has practically none of either. Weiland sounds anonymous for all intent and purposes, trying to fill the rock cliches in the lyrics with misplaced machismo. And Slash, who used to be one of the most distinctive guitarists around, could be another hard rock session musician for all the individuality he adds to the songs.

However, the problem doesn't lie particularly with the performances themselves. The band actually sounds fantastic, thanks to the clear as a bell production of Brendan O'Brien and the years of experience the basic G&R band has working together.

The blame must goes to the material - the ensemble Velvet Revolver writing team simply hasn't come up with any songs that stand out.

The opener "Let It Roll" has one of the quintessential hard rock riffs that every young guitarist learns at 15, and is seductive in a bluesy Aerosmith kind of way.

But the "heard it before" element soon blunts any excitement generated by the performances. Only when the band occasionally breaks out of their self-imposed confines do they display signs of growth - the slightly more melodic songs like "The Last Fight," "American Man" and "Mary Mary" offer a semi-successful synthesis of hard rock and pop that's much more memorable than the rest of the album.

But when they get to covering the ELO hit "Can't Get It Out of My Head" - featuring one of Slash's few awe-inspiring solos - it becomes clear what's been missing on Libertad: great songs. It simply puts the rest of the album to shame. Maybe next time, Velvet Revolver should have Jeff Lynne write all their material.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1191257210498&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

This review pretty much sums up exactly what I feel is wrong with VR. Good post. : ok:

Agreed....very good review....I'm bummed that VR turned out alot weaker than i was anticipating...i wanted to like Libertad, its just lacking any special qualities to me....except Get out the Door......Contraband and Libertad, both are good albums but really no better than most of the ex-gunners projects.  I think the bottom line is that VR don't make great songs is because there are too many egos in the band. 

Its odd, like the article says neither slash nor scott stand out at all.  Hopefully they get someone to push them harder on the next album or they drastically change something up and take a big risk, which at this point won't be much of a risk at all, its essential to see this bands full potential. Something along the lines of the STP song DOWN would be a good start for a newer sound. 

Do you really think that any deficiencies in song quality are because of the egos?

I think that if there are deficienices in the quality of the songs it's because Weiland isn't the best fit with Slash and the guys as say Josh Todd would've been.

Ali

I think egos is a big part of it, I heard Duff say that Weiland writes all the lyrics and obviously does all the vocals.  Maybe if they'd get more of a band collabortion especially for the lyrics and vocals....maybe let Duff sing a song or two and do some  backing at least.   

I do agree that it appears that Weiland and slash aren't a great fit but at the same time Slash doesn't appear to be close to his potential and same with Wieland for that matter.  Its like they have gotton together and just bring out the worste in each other or something.  I was thinking with all the egos around, nobody wants to step on anyone else feet, keep the vibe all relaxed and cool, rather than question the quality of the songs. 

I think they need more time together to come up with more ideas and think ouside the box abit for a 3rd album.  Slash needs to be heard more and get his signature sound back and Weiland needs to have more diversity and help with vocals,lyrics,songwriting from Duff and dave.