Velvet
Revolver seems like every late 80's/early 90's rock 'n'
roll fan's dream. Take the lead singer of a popular-yet-still-underrated
90's band (Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots), mix
with the musicians from one of the biggest rock bands of
the 80's (Guns 'N' Roses), and voila! You have the
Frankenstein of rock! As we all know, though, Frankenstein
didn't end up quite how the good doctor expected, and in
my opinion, neither did Velvet Revolver.
As
it turns out, they had the right idea but at the wrong
time. If they had created this combination 10 years
ago, I think it would have been a smashing success.
Today, though, Weiland's songwriting skills are mediocre
at best. I didn't hear a single song on Contraband
that would make a Best Of STP album. Considering Weiland's
past work vs. his present work, I have to wonder if
giving up drugs has sapped his creativity. Don't get
me wrong--his lyrics are still as disjointed and incoherent
as they ever were, they just don't have the poeticality
they used to. The words seem to be there just to fill
space.
Musically,
the crew from Guns 'N' Roses still has good chemistry,
and there are glimpses of the old Slash in a couple
of songs on Contraband, most notably "Loving
the Alien" and "Slither." Duff
McKagan's bass playing and Matt Sorum's drumwork are
both solid as well. Nonetheless, the songs on
this album come across as formulaic and uninspired.
The band doesn't seem to suffer from the lack of drugs
as much as Weiland does; they just seem to be going
through the motions. Not that it's hard to understand--most
bands burn out long before they hit 20 years.
It just doesn't make for very good music.
When
I was purchasing the album, the guy at the register
asked me if I liked Guns 'N' Roses or Stone Temple Pilots
better. When I told him I liked GnR better, he
informed me that Contraband is basically a
Stone Temple Pilots album. He probably wasn't
Virgin Records' top salesman, but at least he was honest.
Since I also happen to like STP, I bought the album
anyway, but having listened to it, I would have to disagree.
I think about half the songs sound like STP and the
other half sound like GnR, which is probably the biggest
victory of this album. That way, it should have
at least a moderate appeal to the hardcore fans of each
band, which means more records sold.
Overall,
I found nothing to get excited about when listening
to Contraband. "Slither"--the song
currently on the radio--is the only catchy song on the
whole album. In fact, I had to force myself to listen
to it three times, just to get my thoughts straight;
if I hadn't been writing this review, I would never
have listened to the album a second time. In other words,
don't waste your money. And if you really have to have
this album, just wait a few weeks and there should be
a slew of them at your local used CD store.
Martell
can be reached at martell@babblog.com.
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