SLASH Featured On New LESLIE WEST AlbumLegendary guitarist and MOUNTAIN founder Leslie West will release a brand new solo album entitled "Unusual Suspects" in Europe on Monday, September 19 via Provogue Records. The follow-up to 2006's "Blue Me" features West alongside a hand-picked line-up of the finest guitar players alive today including Slash, blues-rock guitar superstar Joe Bonamassa, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman and ex-OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde, ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons and TOTO's Steve Lukather.
"Unusual Suspects" track listing:
01. One More Drink For The Road (ft. Steve Lukather)
02. Mudflap Mama (ft. Slash)03. To The Moon
04. Standing On Higher Ground (ft. Billy F. Gibbons)
05. Third Degree (ft. Joe Bonamassa)
06. Legend
07. Nothing's Changed (ft. Zakk Wylde)
08. I Feel Fine
09. Love You Forever
10. You & Me
11. The Party's Over (ft. Slash & Zakk Wylde)12. Beetle Juice - I Don't Know (bonus track)
Leslie West talks new album Unusual Suspects track-by-trackMudflap Mama (featuring Slash)?It has the same kind of heavy rock feel of Mississippi Queen. There?s a cowbell in it, too. We weren?t trying to copy it or anything, but the two songs do sound like they can go together.
?I wrote the riff with a slide, and immediately I could tell there was something to it. Then I looked at my wife, Jenni, and you know, she?s beautiful - she looks like a mudflap girl. There was the title. Actually, Jenni wrote the lyrics, which is good because I couldn?t get away with the words if I did them. ?My vertical position serves my intuition? ? I couldn?t write that!
?I knew I wanted Slash to play on the song, so I sent him the track. He really liked it, but he said, ?Why do you need me? Where would I fit?? I already had my guitar recorded. I told him, ?You?ll fit in fine, Slash. Don?t you worry ?bout a thing.?
?He came to the studio ? no roadies, no handlers ? and he played on these sections I picked out for him. Guy did a killer job. The only request he had was ?Don?t Pro Tool me? ? he wanted his playing to sound honest.
?Man, he?s got some technique. I was watching him, trying to figure out how to steal his licks. He sounds like a harmonica or something. Incredible tone. When we were done, I gave him one of my Leslie West guitars as a gift.?
The Party's Over (featuring Slash and Zakk Wylde)?I used to do this song live sometimes after Mississippi Queen. It's a Willie Nelson song, one of his many, many great ones. I played it for Fabrizio one day, and he said, ?That?s terrific. Let?s cut it.? So we laid it down with an acoustic, and then Kenny put in a bass drum and handclaps and fingersnaps.
?When Zakk was in the studio, he did a solo for the track. It?s not country and western, it?s something I can?t even define ? it?s Zakk! [laughs] He brings his own style to anything he does. The only thing I told him was not to use the wah-wah; I wanted what was coming out of his fingers.
?After that, we had Slash put a solo on it. It?s a real treat, having me, Zakk and Slash playing together. The order of it is Zakk plays the first solo, then there?s me, and Slash does the last one.
?The song smokes. It?s a nice blast for all the guitar fans out there.?
Audio samples here: http://www.amazon.com/Unusual-Suspects/dp/B005JLSE3Ahttp://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=160348http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/leslie-west-talks-new-album-unusual-suspects-track-by-track-495627
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