Contraband

From the opening bass and drum beat of Velvet Revolver's Contraband, you know you're in for a gritty, honest rock and roll ride. The band and the album do not disappoint.

Velvet Revolver is probably one of the biggest super bands to come together in ages. The best part is, these five guys, who have years of experience in major bands, don't let their popularity and their egos get in the way of the music.

Guns N Roses fans will enjoy the reunion of Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum. Some of the tracks are reminiscent of GNR with gritty, blues-based riffs and soaring solos.

Scott Weiland, ex-frontman of Stone Temple Pilots, gets a new lease on life and masters the vocals. I was skeptical of this alternative-rock STP meets L.A. rock GNR mix, but any skepticism was erased the moment the CD started.

There are traces of STP and GNR throughout Contraband, whether in the music or in the chorus and vocals. No doubt the band tried to get away from their past music to build a new sound for Velvet Revolver, but their heritage is evident and complimentary as they transform those music roots into silky-smooth, bare-bones rock that has been missing for so long.

Though he isn't as big as his compadres, you can't dismiss veteran guitarist Dave Kushner. He keeps Velvet Revolver grounded with his consistency and lets Slash wail on the solos.

All the tracks on Contraband are solid, though Superhuman is my personal favorite because of the hard-rock attitude it projects in the music and Weiland's voice. I was never a fan of the rock ballad, but Velvert Revolver brought about a change in heart with tracks like the radio hit "Fall to Pieces" and "Loving the Alien." Unlike what Slash, Duff and Matt went through in the GNR days of over-the-top orchestration and 11-minute tracks, Revolver's ballads are straight and open songs that get to the heart of the subject. The music is tight and simple, and Weiland's lyrics and vocals are compelling and painfully honest; especially when it comes to addressing his infamous past addictions to drugs.

In short, Velvet Revolver's Contraband is a poignant, brutally honest album that is a must to own.