Leslie West has a resume as long as the neck of his the Gibson Les Paul Jr. Member of the legendary rock trio Mountain, and the influential, short lived supergroup West, Bruce and Laing, his signature tone has been a major influence, especially for those who are into blues rock and heavy metal. Still going strong after being in the business for more than 40 years, he made a few calls to ane ended up with an impressive list of guest guitarists for his new album Unusual Suspects.
Slash, Joe Bonamassa, Zakk Wylde, Billy Gibbons and Steve Lukather brought their own egos to the recording studio, but they never forget it's West party. Gibbons can throw him a curve ball with his Southern Rock swagger, but West is waiting for him, hitting back with a few choice notes. West isn't really a fast player, but he makes every note count. Check out the Third Degree guitar duel between friends with Joe Bonamassa. The Beatles' cover I Feel Fine changes pace a couple of times, after starting out as a high energy blues stomp, as if West is unsure if that approach actually works. The partly acoustic Turn Out The Lights is a logical closer. with West singing "The party is over". Too bad that the record company decided to include a weak bonus track. Beetle 'I Don’t Know' sounds like an unfinished, murky demo.
