He’s one of those guys who has always been in bands, but Gilby Clarke is about to release his first solo album in something like two decades.
I’m pretty sure you know some of those bands he was in. Let’s see, there was Gun N’ Roses and The MC5, to name a couple. He’s not the most operatic singer in the world, and he’s never tried to be, but he’s got a bad boy snarl that flows well with his fat Les Paul tone, not unlike Ace Frehley’s vibe, but grittier. I’d call his sound Classic Rock – not necessarily meaning the radio genre, but rather the classic “clean” distortion of a Les Paul running through a Marshall stack. Power chords! (Btw, he is the proud owner of at least two Zemaitis guitars, so it’s not all LP’s in his life).
His forthcoming album ‘The Gospel Truth’ is a super solid, head-bopping rocker. The songs are catchy and you can pump your fist to them – they’ll be great tunes to hear live (someday, someday…).
The title track kicks off with super crisp drums and a thumping bass that propels things at a good, mid-tempo pace. And then…holy crap, are those horns? Even if it’s synth horns (I don’t know) the arrangements really give the song some serious attitude.
And there are other “classic” touches as well throughout the album: from cowbell, to handclaps to some Hammond B-3 keys, all in tastefully restrained doses. After all, the guitar is the star.
The song tightwad features Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) on bass and Stephen Perkins from Jane’s Addiction on drums. Elsewhere on the album, the great Kenny Aronoff can be heard on drums – his trademark snap of the snare sounds as good as ever.
I didn’t realize how far back the Cleveland native went within the Sunset Strip scene but pre-GNR, he was Kim Fowley’s go-to session guitarist and ghost writer. After playing with Hollywood bands Candy and Kill For Thrills, he joined GNR in ’91.
You can pre-save/Pre-Order The Gospel Truth HERE Prior to its April 23rd release.
Watch the official video for Rock n’ Roll is Getting Louder HERE
