I posted this over at mygnr a few days ago. Thought I'd post it here, as well...
The first I ever heard of Velvet Revolver was on the day Contraband was released. I had floated away from closely following GnR and the ex-members around that time, so it came as a bit of a surprise when I walked into the CD store and saw posters of Slash and Duff all over the place. I missed all the build-up and hype, so I was going in with no idea about how they had formed and what sort of sound they'd created.
In my mind I was expecting an album dominated by the bluesy, classic guitar rock that Slash had become famous for with GnR and Snakepit, combined with Weiland's Morrison-esq (think 'Core') vocals over the top. Those expectations were shot to pieces the minute I put Contraband in the stereo. To say that it was a vastly different product to what I expected would be a huge understatement. Together they had created a sound that is completely their own, and it took a quite a few listens for the new sound to really click with me.
Slash's guitar tone on the album has a meaner, more distorted and heavy sound to it, imo. There are more down-tuned riffs and heavier playing on this one, which, when combined with Kushner's more contemporary rhythm and textures, give the album a more modern edge than I was expecting. And far from dominating the sound of the album, Slash actually takes a bit of a back seat on Contraband. The cool guitar licks, and gnarly solos are still there, but he now seems more at ease with letting his bandmates pick up more of the slack.
And Duff and Matt do more than just pick up the slack on this album, they absolutely shine and have developed a chemistry far greater than they had during their GnR days. Most of the tracks on Contraband are built around kickass grooves from these guys - the thick sleazy swing of
Superhuman, the pounding swagger of
Sucker Train Blues, or the dark, brooding menace of
Slither. Really quite awesome.
But the star of the Contraband show is definitely Scott Weiland ? his presence and personality are all over this album and he makes it his own. Vocally he seems to have ditched the Jim Morrison influence he had early in his career with STP, and has instead gone with a punk-rock menacing low rasp, that conjures up visions of drugs, booze and thousands upon thousands of cigarettes. Is there a lot of range to his voice? No. But he plays to his strengths and is very good at what he does. His phrasing and delivery is terrific.
The lyrics largely reflect a time when Scott was battling addiction, in and out of jail cells, and facing the possibility of losing his wife and kids. This album is full of frustration (
"keep the money bitch, keep the stuff, fly around the world, and keep it up"), anger (
"kick me down with broken bones, you picked a fight now stand your ground"), heartbreak (
"you got no right to keep me waiting here, you got no right to keep the pain in here") and his struggle to combine the role of rockstar and father (
"hope I teach my son how to be a man before he hits 35". In a song like
Headspace he can go from screaming
"don't let any of those fuckers in my headspace" to quietly whispering
"dying with your face on a t-shirt isn't all that original" as a message to some of his rock n' roll compatriots who weren't able to kick their addictions. Every song is a window into Scott's life, and it's that willingness to bare his soul that makes it such an interesting album lyrically.
My major gripe with the album is with the production and mixing. The "muddy" production can sometimes make the different riffs from Slash and Dave almost merge into one, leaving the listener with one wall of sound rather than two intertwining guitars. Nearly every song on Contraband sounds better live because of this.
Also, considering the way they've changed and extended certain songs live for the better (the transformation of
Set Me Free and
Slither are prime examples) you could argue that they maybe should have toured for a while, gelled together as a band, and road-tested their songs before releasing Contraband ... but I sure as hell ain't complaining about this band being eager to put new material on the shelves and creating their own identity.
There is also a lack of diversity in some of the songs on Contraband, in terms of structure and progression. A lot of tracks are great individually, but together on the same album they become a bit "samey". Hopefully they mix it up a bit more with Libertad.
My five favourite tracks:
1)
You Got No RightProbably the best ballad Slash and Duff have been involved with since
Patience, imo. Heartfelt lyrics, lovely vocals, and an epic Slash solo that perfectly complements the feel and mood of the song. The stripped down acoustics are beautiful to begin with, but they take the song to another level when they kick it up a gear at the 1:54 mark.
2)
SlitherThe first single for good reason. Everything about this song just rocks. Dave's intro, the menacing bass/drums from Duff and Matt, the rockin' riff, and possibly Slash's ballsiest solo since SCOM. Just great hard rock. That outro is intense.
3)
Sucker Train BluesWhat an opener. Duff's bass, swirling police sirens, and then ... BANG ... a wall of guitar and drums that is just ferocious. The trippy lyrics don't seem to appeal to everyone, but I think they're cool. The way Scott's mad-man scream leads into Slash's solo is a highlight. The solo itself is so spontaneous and so uniquely Slash - one of his very best, imo.
4)
SuperhumanThe hidden gem of the album. So heavy, but slow and sleazy at the same time. Love the intro, with Slash's twisted riff and Scott's malicious whispers of
"I want to be your Superman". So many cool rock lyrics in this one -
"getting high, crashing cars and makin' mistakes", "keepin her face packed with cocaine, her face is numb your faith is gone", "Throw the rope around her neck and get the show on the road". I think Slash summed up this song best when he said it reminded him of "sweaty, grindy, greasy sex stuff".
5)
HeadspaceJust one of the many 3? minute slabs of killer rock on this album, but this one has really grown on me. Slash and Dave trade kickass riffs, and the vocal melody is interesting and cool. Great lyrics, too.
But, realistically, there just isn't a bad song on the album.
Illegal i Song is a bit repetitive and one I tend to skip, but I still genuinely enjoy Duff's little modern punk rock baby.
Fall To Pieces sounds almost cheesy and out of place with the rest of the album, but has that classic Slash tone and radio friendly sound that made it such a successful single.
Do It For The Kids,
Spectacle and
Dirty Little Thing are just great examples of solid, straight-forward hard rock.
A terrific album that I consider to be up there with the very best rock albums released in recent years. Still play it on a very regular basis. Fantastic that Slash and Duff have found success again, and I really hope they can keep it together with Scott. If not, well, at least we're going to get a couple of great albums.
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