Unusual Suspects
Provogue Records
Release Date September 19th
Leslie West has had a very hard time lately and back in June this year tragically had to have his left leg amputated above the knee. This being as an indirect result of the diabetes with which Leslie has suffered for many years. I'm so pleased to report that Leslie is on the mend and also delighted to tell you that this album is a real bullet of a recording.
Leslie West plays a big sound. Huge, fat rock and roll notes combined with a singing voice that sounds as if it's been fashioned out of molasses and granite. This combination appeals hugely to me and I first got into Leslie's music when I happened by a copy of his pre millennium album As Phat As It Gets. I've been hooked ever since.
When Leslie was planning the Unusual Suspects release, he rallied together a band of guitarists classed amongst the world's finest. Therefore playing on this album we have the talents of Slash, Joe Bonamassa, Zakk Wlyde, Billy Gibbons and Steve Lukather. It's an indication of the metal of the man that the release date for Unusual Suspects wasn't put back because of the aforementioned health issues. Indeed Leslie has been determined not to be waylayed even for a second, remarking that he now needs to figure out how to play his guitars whilst standing on one leg.
Steve Lukather crops up on the first song on the album which is a little bit of boogie called One More Drink For The Road. Lukather's execution is on point once again, and is top of the class grade A material. Mudflap Mama just growls and growls with Slash just hitting all the right spots. To The Moon with a really tender vocal follows before the explosive Standing On Higher Ground which could have featured on ZZ Tops Greatest Hits album, not surprising really as it features the vocals of West and Billy Gibbons. Oh my gosh. This song picks you up in it's arms and smacks you right on the kisser. It just doesn't let you go. Go ahead and annoy the street and your neighbours with this one. You can't ignore it or play it quietly.
A beefed up version of Willie Dixon and Eddie Boyd's blues standard Third Degree is next up. West had recorded this before and Joe Bonamassa was impressed enough to request that the two re-cut the track for this release. West was happy to oblige and the result is beautifully dramatic and intense to say the least. After this, Zakk Wylde contributes to the pure rock and roll of Nothing's Changed and the music just gets better and better as the album goes on. Track eight is a West version of I Feel Fine. A real killer version of the 1964 hit it is too.
Thirteen tracks then, and Unusual Suspects is over. There are no fill in tracks here. The number thirteen on this occasion proves lucky for me, as I was able to get a chance to review this album before it hits the shops in a weeks time. I absolutely recommend you order it and make sure you get yourself a copy. It may be a little while before Leslie West gets himself rehabilitated and back on the road but until that happens, this little beauty will serve as a reminder to the enormous talent of the man and the sheer quality of his music.
Rob Pope
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