Earl Slick
Zig Zag
Long-time David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick returns with his first solo album since 1991's In Your Face. Amidst some tremendous instrumentals on this album, are some absolute gems. Unless they are recording with dance acts, you will never hear Robert Smith, Joe Elliott, David Bowie or Martha Davis belting out notes for another guitarist. Yet, here with Slick each have co-written tracks that are outside your normal perception of them. We may always see the Cure's Robert Smith as the gloomy sort and he doesn't disappoint on "Believe" but you also get a different feel with the lilting guitar provided by Slick. Spacehog's Roy Langdon works amazingly well with the guitarist as he brings a Bowie approach with hints of Chris Cornell in the chorus on the title track. "St. Mark's Place" has a drive that takes Martha Davis (of the Motels) a little left of sanity towards seduction. Def Leppard's Joe Elliott might have had the hardest time with the project as he handed in a decent performance on "Psycho Twang" which seemed to be lacking a spark even with the layered vocals on the chorus. Finally, Slick's work with Bowie on "Isn't It Evening (The Revolutionary)" is strong enough to have been on any of the Thin White Duke's latest albums. This album overall is a great collection of songs that showcase Earl Slick's versatility as songwriter as well as one of the premier guitarists around.