CD Reviews

VELVET REVOLVER
Contraband
(RCA)

You were expecting maybe Led Zeppelin V? Let's recap: Stone Temple Pilots and Guns N' Roses spent a great deal of their time in the sun sucking, albeit in an almost incomparably entertaining fashion. Still, which of the following will history remember: Scott Weiland's countless escapades with the H, or his megaphone, Morrison Lite drug metaphors, and latter-day Androgyny 101 makeover? GN'R's rare moments of compact, vitriolic greatness ("It's So Easy," "You Could Be Mine"), or their bloated power ballad video trilogy starring Stephanie Seymour, Riki Rachtman, and fucking CGI dolphins? For what it's worth, Velvet Revolver attempt to rewrite "Mr. Brownstone" for 80 percent of this debut, an approach that wisely exploits each member's assets. Things begin promisingly enough with sweaty opening salvo "Sucker Train Blues" and "Do It for the Kids"; Weiland's melodic aptitude has always been underrated, and the ex-Gunners rhythm section—bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum—thrust like it's '87. The one casualty, surprisingly, is Slash, once the signature lead guitarist of his day, now reduced to post-grunge rent-a-riffs and the too-occasional sparkling solo ("Slither"). Of course, Weiland goes on and on about getting wasted, hitting bottom, and scraping himself out of the gutter, then stops to remind us in "Headspace" that the media are "fuckers" for harping on the drug thing. The arpeggios, wah, and talkbox are all here, as you might expect, but it's just not as gripping as Appetite or the Illusion records. Why? Believe it or not, Axl was deeper—and even more fascinatingly fucked up—than Weiland. ANDREW BONAZELLI

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