The artist Slash called “one of the most phenomenal singers”

While there were a few notable exceptions that weren’t on the track list, the album reads like an all-star cast of 2010 rock singers, with everyone from Chris Cornell to Ozzy Osbourne to Iggy Pop appearing on the record. So with all those names, how did we land on Fergie?

For anyone who bought the record right after it was released, the most they knew about Fergie was that she was the singer who sang all the choruses on every Black Eyed Peas single. Sure, her voice was sweet enough to play with will.i.am, but that’s not exactly someone who fits the rock mold, is it?

Wrong. When Slash first started looking at artists for the project, he knew he had to find a place for Fergie on a song like “Beautiful Dangerous.” Instead of the other digitized trash the Peas were going through, Slash first got to know her voice on tour when she showed up in the middle of a set to sing a version of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.”

After a few shows, it was a no-brainer for Slash that she would be featured on the album at some point. “I heard her singing ‘Barracuda,’ the old Heart song, and I just thought, ‘Wow!’ I ended up doing a couple of shows with her singing ‘Barracuda’ and ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine.’ She’s one of the most phenomenal rock’n’roll singers I’ve ever heard.”

This attitude is palpable from the minute she starts singing. Although the lyrics are by no means meant to be profound, the pre-chorus of the song particularly showcases her rock talent, sounding almost like the rougher sections of Guns N’ Roses songs when Axl Rose starts getting angry.

A version of Fergie and Slash on tour could have been the pop crossover the 2010s needed, but the unintended winner among the bunch was Myles Kennedy, who played on “Back From Cali” and “Starlight” before eventually joining Slash’s solo band full-time in his time off from Alter Bridge. However, if Slash is ever able to play solo again, or Rose decides he has a sore throat, Fergie could step in as a decent replacement and actually hold his own.

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