Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The gospel according to Slash reaches its fourth delivery, and perhaps no greater sense of faith can be bestowed upon the loyal as once more they are treated as one congregation, the Rector of Rock in the large black hat and the lay preachers standing aside in mutual admiration all reciting their notes and sermons as 4 knocks the faithless off their perch and gives meaning to a period of time in which faint heart and apprehension of future endeavours has been handled by many, and in which hope has been tested.
Life in a time of Covid has been pressured for all, there has been no escaping its grip on the senses, and even for the seemingly indestructible it has left its mark, like a tattoo self-administered under the regret of relationship ending, it has meant change, an acceptance of alteration, and the ones that rise to the challenge, so the reward will be ever greater. It is a challenge met and raised by Slash and his teammates, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, and the rampage and cool intense groove of 4 is the result of overcoming adversity and producing an album of absolute quality and sheer panache.
Whilst Slash has re-joined his original home of Guns ‘N’ Roses, his work with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators is a treasure to behold, there is none of the ego or sense of drama that comes from the band to which Slash gave them arguably their signature sound, instead the music created is one of fierce companionship, a dependability of camaraderie to which all benefit, and in 4 that company is overwhelmingly a force of nature and musical good.
An album which has at its heart the power of a tornado will always find the energy to produce something spectacular in which to showcase for the crowd to get their pulses racing, and 4 is no different, and as tracks such as Whatever Gets You By, The Path Less Followed, Actions Speak Louder Than Words, April Fool, Call Off The Dogs, C’est La Vie, and Fill My World all catch the imagination, so too the sermon from the stage is set, the Rector of Rock seeks the hungry eye and the intriguing mind and delivers a set of songs that are dynamite, explosive, and embracing of the imperfections bought on by events out of everybody’s control.
Life during a period of flux deserves the beat of the sensational, and in Slash with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, the tornado, the controlled aggression outweighs the mayhem wrought by nature, and 4 all it is worth, 4 is worth the lot. An outrageously superb recording, the Rector Of Rock pulls it out of the bag and produces a gospel that everyone will cling to.
Ian D. Hall