Improving upon their first with polished production and a livelier vigor, WP2 is blues-drenched rock that fans of Queens of the Stone Age and Screaming Trees should enjoy. Recorded in early 2015 - shortly after wrapping up touring behind their self-titled debut - WP2 arrived three years later in 2018, due to bassist Duff McKagan's obligations with his other band, Guns N' Roses. WP2 is a damn good personification of who these guys are, as both musicians and human beings.Packed with enough dirty guitar riffs to fill a smoky roadside bar, Walking Papers' second album, WP2, is another dose of no-nonsense rock & roll from the Seattle-based group. Instead, we get well-crafted songs with a unique sound and perspective. There is no bowing to corporate pressure, or trying to keep up with the musical Joneses on this sucker. It’s refreshing to hear new music with such passion. This is what makes Walking Papers an interesting band.having a HOF bass player is just the icing on the cake. There is the soul, the rocking guitar, the hypnotic beat and the catchy chorus. The result is a song like “This is How It Ends,” which takes this big musical stew and pours in all of the necessary ingredients. This creates a certain kind of tension that makes the listener pay attention. The musicians in this band all come from very different places in both their music tastes and their lives. This can best be seen in the weirdness of “Don’t Owe me Nothin’,” one of the best tunes on the release.
The mood heavier and the music more morose. There is a rockin’ aspect for sure, but this is no GNR. The emotions, often sublime and sad, are alive and well. As good as that album was, this one is better. The 13-tracks on WP2 show a band more worldly and mature than on their debut. Sometimes it’s painful, but at the end of the day, we all feel really good about what we’ve accomplished together.” In our band, everybody has a lot of good ideas that we’re all willing to fight for. If you have an idea and you’re not willing to fight for it, then maybe it’s not that good of an idea in the first place. “There’s some creative tension, sure, but the music benefits from it. “Somebody Else” showcases a harder edged sound and makes it easy to see the influence of drummer Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Mad Season).Īngell is proud of his drummer and enjoys creating music with him. “Red and White” brings to mind U2 (back when they were good) but with a bluesy edge that creates a sad, yet smooth emotional response. He, then, backs off and lets the band shine. WP2 opens with as song titled “My Luck Pushed Back.” Duff makes his presence known right away with a low-end thump. But I think our grassroots approach inspired him, and reminded him why he got into playing rock ‘n’ roll in the first place.” “He’s got so much going on with his other legendary successes that he certainly didn’t have to keep working with us. The reason may be because he loves this music. This does beg the question of ‘ why is Duff in this band?’ That said…this is a very good band with or without him. If Duff were not in this band they would have a harder time getting noticed in the crazy musical environment of today. In a weird way, I think that raises the bar for what artists need to do with their own work.”īefore going any future…let’s be totally honest…the main reason there is a lot of interest in the band Walking Papers is due to the fact that Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver) is a member.ĭuff is not only a huge rock star…he is a consummate musician with both a creative streak and media friendly huge smile. Everyone now has access to everything related to music, right at their fingertips - every recorded sound, endless lessons for kids to learn every guitar lick, and the very foundation of music and where it all comes from. “There’s no excuse to not be great anymore. He literally sees no reason for the band not to be great. Walking Papers vocalist /guitarist Jefferson Angell is pretty darn proud of the band’s new album, WP2. RATINGS: A = must own B = buy it C= average D = yawn F = puke
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