Izzy Stradlin's debut solo outing, a year after his depature from Guns N' Roses, spells it all out: Axl was the pop guy, Slash was the metal guy and Izzy was the rock 'n' roll guy.

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From the opening Keef Reef hard vamp on Somebody Knockin', it becomes apparent that Stradlin is a disciple, not an imitator.

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Check out the boozy production, the strength of the material and the players: ex-Georgia Satellite guitarist Rick Richards, Dylan drummer Charlie Quintana, ex-Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan and guitarist Ronnie Wood, and British keyboard session great Nicky Hopkins.

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With a raspy, throaty voice very, very reminiscent of Wood, Bob Dylan and Keith RIchards, Stradlin cuts through on tunes running the gamut from the acoustic stop of Time Gone By and the Stonesy mid-tempo of How Will It Go to the punk grunge of Bucket O' Trouble.

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Sounding very much like a couple of Stradlin's favorite records - the Stones' Exile on Main St. and the Faces' A Nod Is as Good as a Wink - the album easily stands as the illegitimate son to Ronnie Wood's late-'70s outing, Gimme Some Neck.

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