With Guns N’ Roses’ classic lineup about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Axl Rose’s current incarnation of the band touring intimate club venues across North America to surprisingly strong reviews, GN’R has been trending positively in the news for the first time in quite some time. While many fans eagerly anticipate what may or may not go down at the Hall of Fame ceremony, now is an ideal time for Slash to re-emerge from a two-year hiatus with a new song. It’s called “You’re a Lie” and it is the lead single from the recently-announced LP Apocalyptic Love.
I admittedly liked the legendary guitarist’s first solo record, which featured collaborations with numerous talented singers – Chris Cornell, Iggy Pop, Ian Astbury, Lemmy – but his sophomore effort will solely feature his touring vocalist, Myles Kennedy, of the alternative rock band Alter Bridge.
Kennedy’s voice is alienating (one need only visit the comments sections of any of his YouTube videos for evidence) – it has a sort of nasally, twangy southern swagger to it that would seemingly match the guitarist’s brand of blues-based-rock perfectly, but here it seems out of place, straining to accompany the aggressive riffs of the tune.
At face value, there’s nothing particularly bad about the track – it’s just that there’s just nothing particularly good about it, either. To say the riff is classic Slash is somewhat appropriate, but truthfully it’s just generically Slash – more Snakepit than Velvet Revolver (a band I actually liked). On top of that, the production is fairly garish and loud – at this point in his career both are to be expected, I suppose, but it’s disappointing nonetheless.
One of Slash’s best songs since leaving Guns N’ Roses was a collaboration with the vocalist Beth Hart on a track called “Mother Maria.” Part of the reason it was so great was due to the fact that it wasn’t typical – for the first time in a while he seemed to actually be stretching himself, and the song was strangely powerful. In stark contrast, “You’re a Lie,” from its trashy artwork to the snarling riffs, seems tired and lazy – Slash fulfilling the sleaze-rock stereotype that he’s branded a cultural image out of – but the truth is, this isn’t the kind of music that made people admire his talent in the first place.
