Slash on Why He Invited Demi Lovato to Sing on His New Blues LP

Slash has a ton of guests on his blues album, Orgy of the Damned, which comes out tomorrow (May 17). The guitar icon recruited fellow guitar greats, like Billy F. Gibbons and Gary Clark Jr. He also recruited incredible singers, like Paul Rodgers, Brian Johnson and Chris Stapleton. However, one of the most surprising guests on the album is Demi Lovato.

The pop star, who has also dabbled in the rock world, provides the vocal on Slash's cover of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone." In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Slash said the decision to tap Lovato was a "left-field" choice, due to her prominent pop background.

"She’s had her share of missteps in life, and we’ve known each other for a little while, so I called her up and I asked her about it," said the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist. "It turns out that that song really meant a lot to her, so she came in and delivered a powerhouse f---ing vocal that I think will be a huge surprise to people that are familiar with her other stuff."

As previously reported, Orgy of the Damned features 12 tracks, ranging from blues classics to deeper cuts. A full tracklisting is below.

Per his record label Gibson Records, "The acclaimed guitarist re-teamed with storied producer Mike Clink and enlisted the album’s diverse guest vocalists, which include Gary Clark Jr, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson, and Beth Hart."

Slash's sixth solo album also has the guitarist reunite with bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy Andreadis from his '90s Blues Ball band. Rounding out Slash's backing band are drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

The first preview of the album was released in March. This preview was a cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor." The track features AC/DC frontman on vocals and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler on harmonica.

Following "Killing Floor," the second preview was a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" featuring Chris Stapleton.

1. “The Pusher” feat. Chris Robinson (vocal and harmonica)
Written by Wayne Hoyt Axton

2. “Crossroad Blues” feat. Gary Clark Jr (vocal, rhythm guitar and solo)
Written by Robert Leroy Johnson

3. “Hoochie Coochie Man” feat. Billy F. Gibbons (vocal, rhythm guitar and solo)
Written by Willie Dixon

4. “Oh Well” feat. Chris Stapleton (vocal)
Written by Peter Alan Green

5. “Key to the Highway” feat. Dorothy (vocal)
Written by Charles Segar, William Broonzy

6. “Awful Dream” feat. Iggy Pop (vocal)
Written by Sam (Lightnin’) Hopkins, Clarence Lewis, C Morgan Robinson

7. “Born Under a Bad Sign” feat. Paul Rodgers (vocal)
Written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones

8. “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” feat. Demi Lovato (vocal)
Written by Barrett Strong, Jesse Norman Whitfield

9. “Killing Floor” feat. Brian Johnson (vocal)
Written by Chester Burnett (Special guest Steven Tyler on harmonica)

10. “Living for the City” feat. Tash Neal (vocal)
Written by Stevie Wonder (Special guest background vocals: Jenna Bell, Jessie Payo)

11. “Stormy Monday” feat. Beth Hart (vocal)
Written by T-Bone Walker

12. “Metal Chestnut”
Written by Slash

If you're a musician in a legendary band, you'd (in most cases) consider yourself to be very fortunate. Slash, however, has founded two: Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver. But for this list, we're concentrating on his act three: his "solo" career. (We put "solo" in quotes, because we know he's a band guy.)

While Guns and VR definitely overshadow a lot, his career with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, which is now four albums deep, is pretty awesome. He's also done some great stuff with both versions of the Snakepit, and we're definitely not forgetting his 2010 album of all-star collaborations (which is when he first worked with Myles).

Slash's latest solo album, Orgy of the Damned, was released in May 2024. The release is a stunning all-star blues covers album featuring a diverse slate of guests that include Gary Clark Jr, Billy F. Gibbons, Chris Stapleton, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Brian Johnson, Tash Neal, Chris Robinson, and Beth Hart.

To support the album, Slash announced the ambitious "S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival," with the acronym standing for "Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Equality N' Tolerance." A host of artists are also part of the tour, including Warren Haynes, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, ZZ Ward, Larkin Poe and Jackie Venson.

Notably, a portion of every ticket sold will help raise funds for a number of equality and civil rights charities. These charities were selected by Slash, himself, and they include The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child.

Slash said in a statement about the tour, "The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. tour is a celebration of blues and rock ‘n’ roll music, and a celebration of unity and togetherness in these uncertain and divisive times. S.E.R.P.E.N.T is a vehicle to help support and uplift people and communities suffering from the injustices of racism and equal rights violations, as well as to support children adversely affected by war and poverty across the world."

While our list primarily focuses on Slash's solo work, we decided to also include his work on other people's music, but only when he really made his presence on the track felt (sorry, you're out of luck, Bob Dylan's "Wiggle Wiggle"!). But from Lenny Kravitz to Halestorm, Tom Morello to Michael Jackson, his solos have made a lot of great songs even better.

Without further ado, here is our list of Slash's 35 coolest moments outside of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver.