Say you're the guns behind Guns N' Roses and you need a frontman to replace eyebrowless loony tune Axl Rose. Where to turn? Obviously trolling rehab centers and bus stations, Slash and the guys found their man: former Stone Temple Pilot and career fuckup Scott Weiland! What could go wrong? Ignoring the offstage drama and giving Contraband a listen, we have to say ... not a damned thing. Although Rose was all maniac energy and Weiland is more boozy charm, Contraband sounds like these guys have been mainlining Appetite for Destruction. At first Weiland clearly struggles to keep up ("Sucker Train Blues"), but he finds his groove over the brash guitars and brawny drums. On "Dirty Little Thing," he knowlingly sings, "Get away from the man who's stealing your life/Get away from the drugs you're taking." He sounds like a man ready to slow down, yet he's as reinvigorated as his new mates. Welcome back to the jungle, guys.

---Jon Caramanica