Contraband

I didn’t have particularly high hopes for this cd. I have never been a fan of the Stone Temple Pilots or Slash’s Snakepit and I figured this to land somewhere in between. And actually it sort of does I suppose. You can’t ignore Weiland’s voice or Slash’s distinctive style of playing, but they did manage to create something uniquely separate from their previous identities. I imagine if Guns N' Roses hadn’t imploded, this might even be the direction they would eventually have gone. Regardless of the inevitable GNR shadow this band will forever live in, they did manage to carve out their own sound to put together some pretty good songs and while they aren’t GNR, this is as close as you’re going to get to a reunion. --Scott