[youtube]http://youtu.be/UF9ppjkF8TU[/youtube]
This past Tuesday, LL Cool J’s 13th album, Authentic, was released. Why are we writing about it on Metal Insider? Because Eddie Van Halen appears on two songs on the album. While we’d known that he’d be appearing on a few songs by the actor Grammy host rapper, the songs are now online. We’ll hand it to him, the two songs sound drastically different from each other. “We’re the Greatest” is a typical rap/rock song that could have come out in the ’90s. The riff itself is pretty Rage Against the Machine-like, while LL Cool J raps about heavy metal, including the line “I got Van Halen, I don’t need a bass line.”
“Not Leaving You Tonight” features Los Angeles soul-pop band Fitz and the Tantrums, and is far more melodic, anchored by a chorus from Fitz’s Noelle Scaggs. In fact, Van Halen’s solo almost sounds out of place when it pops up at 2:52. Regardless, on both songs, it’s still good to see Eddie Van Halen back at his finger tapping best, and who knows, maybe this reappearance will help kick start him into writing some new music for his band. Check out “Not Leaving You Tonight” after the jump.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/3RGSBbnWd98[/youtube]
