Guitar icon Slash and his cohort of hard rock buddies in Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators return once again for their third outing together with “Living The Dream”, 12 tracks of bluesy, hard rock tunes that keep things simple and to the point. Teaming up with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette who has worked with Myles in his other band Alter Bridge and who also worked on the previous album “World On Fire”, the slick production stands out as one of their finest sounding records to date.
With the successful “World On Fire” album now 4 years ago, the time was ripe for the GNR legend and his standout band including the voice of modern rock, Myles Kennedy to once again grace our ears with new material. Slash always has a certain style and sound that is remarkably instantly recognisable even on hearing just a few notes and opening track “The Call Of The Wild” does exactly that, even if it might take a bit to get the engines running hot. A quick building intro with Myles leading the way early on with his own distinct voice, it’s signature stuff coming from the band who by now have such a great chemistry that the music just comes off as effortless and completely organic. The melodic side of the band comes in to play midway before the engines rev up again to take the song to the finish line, a simple yet effective way to start things off.
The top hat axeman rarely ever goes over the top with his guitar playing, always keeping things to the music and knowing when to back off and when to come in for his trademark riffs and licks. “Serve You Right” does the former with it’s bluesy swagger and the beat from drummer Brent Fitz is on point, laying down a solid foundation for which the song is built on. It’s not a mellow song by any means though but it definitely keeps things nice and loose early on.
From here it’s a mixed bag of the best in rock n roll. From the highly energetic “Mind Your Manners” to the mellow, darker noir-like number of “Lost Inside the Girl” complete with sprawling chorus lines or the 70’s inspired funk rocker “Read Between the Lines“, “Living The Dream” is beyond standard fluff rock. There’s a wide range of palatable songs to sink your teeth into and wrap your ears around, the classic tones of Slash unmistakable on every corner of each track and the rest of the band follow suit and give their own two cents where necessary. As mentioned before, the chemistry within the band is a well oiled machine by this point with bassist Todd Kerns providing the backbone to Brent’s drum parts forming a rhythm section that is as important as the two points of focus in Slash and Myles.
The best is saved for last in what makes for a strong close out to the album, even more so than the first half. “Sugar Cane” uses the rhythm and blues as the basis for much of the song with bluesy bridges crossing into each chorus section and the epic ballad rocker “The Great Pretender” has a hint of the “Don’t Cry” vibe with Slash’s tangy notes weaving in and around core parts of the songs sections leading to a tremendous Godfather-like solo. Second last song of the album and here is one of the great highlights of the record.
There’s not much else that can be said about a Slash record, if you know and love his style then it’s safe to say you would probably like the majority of his work. And with a singer like Myles Kennedy onboard plus a backing band as solid as The Conspirators, “Living The Dream” is exactly what this band exude is musical confidence, the title says it all.
TRACKLIST
The Call of the Wild
Serve You Right
My Antidote
Mind Your Manners
Lost Inside the Girl
Read Between the Lines
Slow Grind
The One You Loved Is Gone
Driving Rain
Sugar Cane
The Great Pretender
Boulevard of Broken Hearts
