For ages now, Slash has been wanting to record an album live in the studio, something which apparently didn’t even happen during the earliest days of Guns ‘n’ Roses. Nashville-based producer Dave Cobb, who mainly produces country music, took him up on the offer. The lack of polish benefits ‘4’. Some moments on the fourth album by Slash, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators feel like they go back to the earliest days of Slash playing in bar bands. There is a spontaneity to the album that I did not even realize the previous three albums were lacking until I heard this one.

While ‘4’ contains quite a few appealing rough edges, undoubtedly influenced by the fact that Cobb requested the band not to over-rehearse the material, the album is not raw to the point that it becomes directionless. Myles Kennedy’s vocal melodies in particular contain more hooks than a fishing gear shop and the backing vocals – one of the few elements on ‘4’ that has not been recorded live with the whole band – are arranged very effectively. The grooves in particular are massively enhanced by the live feel, however, bringing out more of a Stones and Hendrix feel than any prior release by this group of musicians.

Because the feel of a band playing together is central to the experience of ‘4’, there is a bit less immediacy to the material than on its two Elvis Baskette-produced predecessors. This is not helped by the fact that opening track ‘The River Is Rising’ is the least impactful opener on a Slash album since ‘Ghost’ on his solo debut, but ‘4’ is an album of which the vibe just creeps up on the listener and refuses to let go afterward. Especially the more immediate tracks, like the powerful bluesrocker ‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words’ and the almost punky energy of ‘Call Off The Dogs’, profit from the live atmosphere.

Kennedy’s knack for a strong melody can be felt most clearly on ‘C’Est La Vie’ and the simple, but very effective hardrocker ‘The Path Less Followed’, the most chord-driven song on the album. I also really like the almost Sabbath-ish grind of ‘Whatever Gets You By’. Closer ‘Fall Back To Earth’ is the closest ‘4’ gets to a ballad, but it is structured quite interestingly for a rock ballad, especially in the way it shifts from a waltz to a straight 4/4 beat. ‘Spirit Love’ is another stand-out track, starting out with an electric sitar melody and seamlessly transitioning to a fairly dark mid-tempo stomper.

If you are into tightly-arranged, hooky hardrock, ‘4’ might warrant three or four spins to fully sink in. However, if you are like me and think that Slash has been weighed down by over-production too often throughout his career, ‘4’ is the album for you. This material is undoubtedly going to translate to the live situation quite well, as it has been recorded exactly like that. At the moment, I am still uncertain whether or not I like ‘4’ more than ‘Apocalyptic Love’, but the simple presence of that doubt means that ‘4’ is another excellent rock record.

Recommended tracks: ‘Whatever Gets You By’, ‘Spirit Love’, ‘Call Off The Dogs’