Axl Rose finally got around to releasing his epic 'Chinese Democracy'. It's the audio equivalent of Axl erecting a monument to himself. He calls the band Guns N' Roses, but it's an Axl Rose solo album - an Axl Rose self-portrait. When he tries to recall the glory days of his former band, the music sounds forced, imitative. But mostly he tries to erase the aura of the old group, which is another kind of mistake. As a whole, there's no direction, no theme, no focus. And after 15 years, well, that's bound to happen.
At times bewildering and frequently exhausting, it's easy to imagine that Chinese Democracy took 10 years just to mix.
There ARE flashes of real promise in some of the melodies here but all too often they are mired in bombast and misguided arrangements. None of the team of lead guitarists Rose has recruited are any substitute for Slash, but ultimately this album is conclusive proof that Izzy Stradlin was the genuine songwriting talent in Guns N' Roses.
There's talented people here of course but they've missed the mark. Fifteen years? It will be another 15 years before I listen to this album again. Now that he has this epic out and behind him, let's hope that maybe he will now get back to his roots, strip away the gloss and make a rock and roll record soon.
Not recommended.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment