Slash has announced his latest album with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators – the economically titled 4 – is set for release on February 11, 2022, via Gibson Records.
The guitarist reportedly wrote most of the material before the pandemic, but finished three or four tracks during lockdown.
The band then went down to Nashville, TN to record at RCA Studio A, working with producer Brent Cobb (known for his collaborations with Rivals Sons, John Prine and Chris Stapleton) and they say the focus this time was on recording live, complete with solos and vocals.
The debut single, The River Is Rising, certainly whets the appetite on that front: seeming to un-tap a raucous post-lockdown live energy – and even recalls a bit of Paradise City’s manic wrangle in its pace-y solo and breakdown.
“There’s two or three songs on the record that were written during the pandemic; everything else was written before,” says Slash. “The River is Rising was one of the last songs I wrote before we started pre-production, and because it was so fresh and has a certain groove and energy to it, it was the first thing we really attacked.
“It’s the newest song on the record, and as for the double-time part, that was something that I came up with and tagged onto the end of the arrangement. Then when we were over at RCA, Dave Cobb suggested we do it right after the breakdown.
“So, we went straight into the fast part, and I just started doing the guitar solo over it. It was one of those things where we were jamming around, trying to fish out the arrangement, and it just happened.”
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
The new record will mark the debut release for the new Gibson Records label and, as such, the brand is celebrating by releasing a limited-edition Slash Les Paul Standard 4 Album Edition guitar package, which includes the guitar, a hard case and the vinyl.
That run will be limited to just 250 instruments, available direct from Gibson.com and some dealers.
Then there’s a bells-and-whistles Deluxe Vinyl Box Set option (which bundles a live recording, photo book, cassette, Slash picks and other gubbins) and the usual other formats on offer.
If you want can’t wait for February, you can pre-save/pre-order Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators 4 in the format of your choice.
Finally, the band have also announced a sizeable US tour kicking off on February 8, 2022 in Portland, OR and running through to March 26, 2022.
Head to Slash’s official site for the full set of dates and ticket information.
