Project Description
SLASH
ft. Miles Kennedy and the Conspirators
‘Living the Dream’
Album Review
Reviewer – Benjamin Smith
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SLASH FT. MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS (L-R): BRENT FITZ (drums), SLASH (guitar), MYLES KENNEDY (vocals), FRANK SIDORIS (guitar & vocals) and TODD KERNS (bass & vocals)
PHOTO CREDIT: GENE KIRKLAND
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“The power that Slash can muster over all who hear the steely run of his guitar licks is unmatchable and in Living The Dream, he and Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators deliver an album that’s nothing if not an exhilarating experience.” – Hysteriamag.com
“An album gilded with the confident mastery of some of rock’n’roll’s finest virtuosos, Living The Dream is a welcome branch to the ever-expanding legacy of Slash and Kennedy.” – Heavy Magazine
“Living The Dream’ is by far the best thing that Slash, Myles and The Conspirators have done.” – May The Rock Be With You
“Slash dulls none of his juicy riffage on his fourth solo album, and his third with his bandmates Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators.” – Stack Magazine
“Showcasing that these guys can do no wrong, it all comes together in another solid album from start to finish.” – Overdrive Magazine
“Their fantastic storytelling through the lyrics and music should have given you by now a great visual of the Sunset Strip LA; neon lights, wall to wall traffic, people dressed as movie characters, rubbish in the streets and chancers all around. Slash took the wheel and drove you to see those Living The Dream on the Boulevard Of Broken Hearts, the least you can do is listen to his story.” – HiFi Way: The Pop Chronicles
“This collection is far more perfect than we could possibly have possibly hoped. Every track a hit, every note a celebration and yet another step skyward for Slash and The Conspirators as one of the greatest collaborations of all time.” – Silver Tiger Media
“…the album as an entirety is a great listen, with plenty of impressive guitar work from Slash, coupled with Kennedy’s soaring vocals to pack a dynamic punch.” – Insert Review Here
“As you’d expect, it’s chock full of straight up, no b#llshit rock n roll.” – Everblack Media
“Living The Dream offers another round of classic rock riffs with a level of diversity and new ideas that make this record stand out above the rest. Arguably the best album yet from SMKC.” – The Upside News
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The thing about listening to a Slash record is that you always know what you’re in for. Straight up, down and dirty rock n roll like he’s been making for decades is the beginning and end of anything the man produces. There are probably some people who think that the world has moved on. That there’s no place for the kind of unreconstructed machismo that kind of music brings with it. That shirtless stadium rock has had its day. Those people can go fuck themselves.
This is Slash’s third record with Kennedy and the band and his work on the album is probably more subtle than it has been in the past. There are less flashy moments on this than there have been on previous records, although to be fair Slash has never been one for the obnoxious shredding that defined so many of the guitar players of his generation. A kind of economy of sound has always been his trademark and that’s a skill he tends to have honed and sharpened as the years have gone by.
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BUY ALBUM TEE AND HOODIE BUNDLES HERE
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His collaboration with Kennedy was always going to be one that took some time for the listening public to get used to. The similarities with his other former frontman are too overt not to acknowledge, at least sonically. That said, the records are good. Really good and this one is no different. The two standout tracks are located about a third of the way through the album, being Lost Inside the Girl and Mind Your Manners. But they’re all killer tracks. Slow Grind demonstrates the compatibility of Slash’s style with Kennedy’s broadly diverse vocal talents and The One You Loved shows the capacity for something a little more tender to take the feel of the record down a gear, if ever so briefly before heading straight back into the high energy stuff they do so well on Driving Rain. Maybe what’s great about these records is that they aren’t just complete Slash records. Kennedy’s input is everywhere and not just vocally, but lyrically and stylistically and the rhythm section, particularly Brent Fitz’ work on skins, holds up enough make it actually a well rounded piece.
This album isn’t going to become a classic. In that respect maybe the haters are right, there just isn’t a place for rock n roll like this on the front page of popular music anymore. But fuck them. Listen to it because its better than most of the things that you’ll find on the front page anyway.
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About Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators:
Slash–the iconic, GRAMMY-winning, American rock guitarist, songwriter and film producer–has amassed album sales of over 100 million copies, garnered a GRAMMY Award and seven GRAMMY nominations and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Slash landed on the top of the charts with his first solo album, Slash (2010) which featured Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie, Myles Kennedy and more. The album debuted at #2 on the Australian ARIA chart and is certified as an ARIA Accredited Platinum album. Shortly after, he formed his current band Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators–which features Myles Kennedy (lead vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass/vocals) and Frank Sidoris (rhythm guitar)–who’ve been touring worldwide and making music for over four years. Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators released the critically acclaimed Apocalyptic Love (2012) which stormed the Australian ARIA Chart at #2 and certified as an ARIA Accredited Gold album, Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart debuting at #4 as the top rock album. Apocalyptic Love has the added distinction of spawning Slash’s first-ever #1 rock radio solo hits: You’re A Lie and Standing In The Sun. Slash released Nothing Left To Fear (2013) the first-ever motion picture he co-produced from SLASHfiction, his film/TV production company specialising in the horror genre. He is currently working on a new film project. Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators unleashed their second album World On Fire to worldwide praise garnering Slash some of the best critical acclaim of his career. Slash’s third straight solo album to debut in the Top Ten, World On Fire achieved over 12, Top Ten chart debuts around the world and seeing them debut on Australian ARIA Chart at #2. The album’s title track, first single World On Fire ascended to #1 at U.S. Rock Radio. In 2016, Guns N’ Roses re-united and Slash joined Axl Rose and Duff McKagan for the ongoing “Not In This Lifetime Tour” which Billboard now ranks as the fourth-highest grossing tour of all time.
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TOUR DATES:
Monday 1 October: Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
Tuesday 2 October: The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
Thursday 4 October: Casino Rama – Rama, ON
Friday 5 October: Pier 17 @ South Street Seaport – New York, NY
Saturday 6 October: Mohegan Sun – Wolf’s Den – Uncasville, CT
Tuesday 9 October: The Paramount – Huntington, NY
Wednesday 10 October: Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
Thursday 11 October: House Of Blues – Boston, MA
Sunday 14 October – Aftershock Festival – Sacramento, CA
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LIVING THE DREAM
TRACK LISTING:
01. The Call of the Wild
02. Serve You Right
03. My Antidote
04. Mind Your Manners
05. Lost Inside the Girl
06. Read Between the Lines
07. Slow Grind
08. The One You Loved Is Gone
09. Driving Rain
10. Sugar Cane
11. The Great Pretender
12. Boulevard of Broken Hearts
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