The major perk about the eponymous Walking Papers album is the way it meshes classic blues-rock with a unique psychedelic sound. The band is a collaboration of four musicians, the most recognizable being Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, and the group expresses their musicality interestingly and awesomely.
The first track on Walking Papers, “Already Dead,” is a fantastic ambient-psychedelic tune that is striking enough to send chills down the spine. It has a wonderful timbre and the song as a whole truthfully may be the highlight of the album. It’s good to start out strong! As “Already Dead” fades into its sepulcher of doom, the album’s second track, “The Whole World’s Watching”, starts out strong grooving around the famous beat of the Purdie Shuffle (listen to “Fool In The Rain” by Led Zeppelin if you should want to hear more of this groove). It is a rare case in music to hear such an eclectic beat in a song, but Walking Papers does it exceptionally well.
As Walking Papers plays on, the songs being to feel more like the classic bluesy theme so many are so used to hearing in revival rock like this, but there is a style with the dynamic of the band that makes it completely unique and enjoyable.
Though, as many works of art are not without flaw, this album does not escape them. The lyrics are often based around the almost formulaic sexuality of so many other rock bands of today and the past (and likely the future). It does get tiresome to listen to the mating calls of men in their fifties after a while. Regardless, the musicality is still amazing. There is little monotony to this album, thankfully, a rarity in music today, so it can be certain there will always be something new around the next bend.
I recommend this album to anyone who would like to sit back and relax to some good ole blues, and for anyone wishing to hear something awesomely different in the world of today’s music.