Media Reviews of Libertad

[Sandinista]

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.

[GeraldFord]

Where the hell is the Rolling Stone review?

[Booker Floyd]

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.?

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.

[freedom78]

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?

[BillBailey]

[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]

[FunkyMonkey]

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

[freedom78]

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

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.

[GeraldFord]

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!

[ShotgunBlues1978]

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

[Sandinista]

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!

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

[D]

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.

[LT4]

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? ? ? ?

[duga]

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/

[GeraldFord]

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

[Ines_rocks!]

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.

[BillBailey]

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

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

[Wheres Izzy]

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.

[LunsJail]

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.

[FunkyMonkey]

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.

[FunkyMonkey]

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?