Izzy StrandlinDuff McKagan’s column runs every Thursday on Reverb. He writes about what music is circulating through his space every Monday.Sorry if I am late on this Monday edition of the music column. I was east of the mountains and beyond the reach of any internet contact. Maybe Izzy Stradlin’s new record, Wave Of Heat, exemplifies this situation best.I’m not much of a ‘critic’ when it comes time to write about music, and hence I really only write about stuff that I like. I really like the way Izzy, my old Guns N’ Roses bandmate, goes about writing, recording, and releasing his records. He records his stuff out in the ‘sticks’ where he lives. He writes and demos the songs in his house. He releases his records straight to iTunes. No press. No drama.In a lot of ways, at least for me, Izzy has almost singlehandedly carried the torch over the last 18 years for REAL, no bullshit American rock. His records are always gems of song-craftsmanship. Wave Of Heat came out last week and this may be the first place you may have heard about it. (Full disclosure: I played bass on this record.) Izzy walks his own path always and never plays footsies in any way with the newest musical fad or craze. He fucking ROCKS! Plain and simple.Izzy Stradlin, “Beat Up” (Wave Of Heat): An up-tempo rocker that needs to be played LOUD!Izzy Stradlin, “Difference” (Wave Of Heat): This is classic tongue-in-cheek dry humor from the Iz-man. He has always had the gift for great lyric writing. The chorus of this song is one of the catchiest I have heard in recent years.Izzy Stradlin, “Texas” (Wave Of Heat): Actually, I feel kind of dumb writing about these songs separately anymore. This is a RECORD and should be listened to as a whole. Period!