Hello Rocksmith fans!

New shill for Rocksmith+ here. With the month wrapping up, here’s a retrospective on some notable additions in the February content drop.

Best of Bass

Sorry guitarists, but as a bassist foremost gotta give it love first. This is clearly formatted, you can skip down to the next section if you want.

As always, country stands strong in the library. Wichita Lineman/Calveston/Country Boy by Glen Campbell is an enjoyable live medley for fans of those (me!!!), and My Maria by Brooks and Dunn is a huge hit added too, which is great on its own and to contrast with the original. Morgan Wade is only a few degrees off from pop rock, but the bass part to Wilder Days pulls out every trick in the pop rock book to make it fun.

Nonetheless, other genres weren’t starved. Jazz fans saw Danger, Men at Work by Les Paul Trio get a very hectic bass added that’s thankfully shorter and easier to slot into one’s play than some of the ones with similar intensity. And just like January, a great amount of great Clash bass got added. Cheat is my personal favorite to play of this batch, but even the worst of them felt just ‘alright’ to me so check ’em out; they’re a diverse, enjoyable bunch, and mostly pretty short to boot.

While not as standout to me personally, there’s still some good additions in other genres too: Blues saw Sweet Little Angel by Big Mama Thornton, Nu-Metal saw Something Told Me by Coal Chamber, R&B saw Never Let Met Go by Luther Vandross, Bossanova saw Tema de Amor de Gabriela by Gal Costa, and fairly recognizable songs Raised on You by Heart and Mr. Tambourine Man by the Byrds got arrangements added that are pretty accessible for beginners.

Best of Guitar

Hi guitarists.

Newcomers to the library Beware the Darkness bring a modern rock sound in the vein of Crobots and Royal Blood, all four of the lead charts added are very strong offerings (Howl). Meanwhile, ALL comes in with three leads as well, bringing the best of 90s melodic hardcore (Shreen).

Metal gets some love this patch, leading with Mercyful Fate seeing the addition of two more leads that continue to be stellar. Aborted‘s cover of Suprise You’re Dead gives you what you’d expect from a death metal lead, Something Told Me by Coal Chamber brings the best of Nu-Metal charts, and if you can make your way down to Mexico, the Dillinger Escape Plan got two leads added that certainly show you tricks that are largely unique to the band’s repertoire.

Country doesn’t fare poorly on guitar either – My Maria by Brooks and Dunn has some great country solos in it, Colorado Cool-Aid by Johnny Paycheck has an enjoyable chart when it gets going and a fun story throughout, and the oddly country cover of Somebody to Love by Kasabian makes you wanna stomp your feet along with its twist on the song.

Other Recognizable Additions

In big names getting modern tracks, Pixies got a lead for Classic Masher, which plays like Pixies.

Nineties kids remember. Two of the Everclear re-records got lead charts.

In other nostalgia appeals, Crash by the Primitives got lead  and bass (I recommend the former over the latter), which folks that have gone through rhythm games might recall from LEGO Rock Band. 311‘s Reggae Got Soul, the original song written for Surf’s Up, got lead and bass, which is pretty much the friendliest the band is going to get to beginners.

For punk fans Me First and the Gimme Gimmes enter the library with lead and bass for their punk rendition of I Will Survive, with their two other current additions planned for next update. NOFX got two songs with authentic lead (Drugs Are Good) and bass (Drugs are Good and What’s the Matter with Parents Today?) added, which are both pretty fun punk additions that just slightly didn’t make the cut-off for the best of list above.

And lastly, wild cards. One of the biggest oddities in the library to me – the dubstep cover of Little Lies by Hillary Duff – finally got lead and bass this update. And while the lead and bass arrangements aren’t terribly enjoyable experiences, Transformer by Future showcases Nicki Minaj in the library, which, living up to the category name, is absolutely wild.

Of course, there was tons of stuff added that fell just outside of any of these categories, and if they’re of interest to you, check ’em out and share your thoughts in the comments! See y’all next month!