Looking back on it, a blues album by
Guns N Roses
guitarist seems like an inevitability. Ever since the wild, early days of
GNR
,
Slash
relied on earthy riffs and slippery solos over shredding; his greasiness made him a tonic during the heyday of
Eddie Van Halen
imitators.
Orgy of the Damned
finds the guitarist emphasizing this aspect of his playing as he cranks up the amplification and leans into a hard backbeat with the assistance of a rotating cast of guest singers. As befitting a star of
's status, the vocalists are about as familiar as the tunes. He's not exploring, he's lying back, having a good time as he settles into his comfort zone. Cozy it may be, but
doesn't sound lazy, even if it winds up never delivering anything unexpected. When
Paul Rodgers
steps up to the mike for "Born Under a Bad Sign," the singer isn't intent on reinventing the song, nor does
Billy F. Gibbons
want to do anything with "Hoochie Coochie Man" than offer some good-natured sleaze. Generally, this isn't a bad thing at all because
usually picks sparring partners that are up to the task. The one major stumble -- a hammy
Demi Lovato
blowing through "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" as if she was on American Idol -- serves as a way to gauge how effective the rest of the record is. Some acts amiably wander through the changes (
Gary Clark, Jr.
Chris Stapleton
Beth Hart
) but
Brian Johnson
Dorothy
, and especially
Chris Robinson
, who pours himself into "The Pusher," sound as happy to be singing the blues as
is playing them, and that's enough to make
a good time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine