Gilby Clarke

Gilby Clarke’s a troubadour in the Ronnie Wood tradition: a barroom song brawler with attendant Stonesy swagger, plus a catalog of well-written and heartfelt rock 'n' roll ditties. The L.A. guitarist’s rise started in the mid-’80s with the Kim Fowley–mentored band Candy, followed by Kill for Thrills (with Jason Nesmith, son of Monkee Michael Nesmith). In the early ’90s, Clarke joined Guns N’ Roses, thus trading a touring van for his own room on a private jet. He later starred on a network TV show whose offshoot was Rock Star Supernova, a band with Tommy Lee. Then he joined The MC5 for a world tour. This 2007 set collects Clarke’s best from his four studio solo albums (1994-2002) and the one he did with the short-lived Col. Parker. Songs here pop with sing-along power (“Dropping Out” “Wasn’t Yesterday Great”) outright rock (the Waddy Watchel–produced “Cure Me or Kill Me” is pure Urge Overkill/Cheap Trick gold), and they outdirt any other Sunset Strip boozehounds (“Tijuana Jail” and “Bourbon Street Blues”). There’s even a worthy re-recording of Clarke’s Beatle-esque “Black” with sexy Dilana, a finalist from the aforementioned TV show.