I’m not sure if this was released on vinyl when it first appeared in 2011, but this is the special glow in the dark reissue. Not a gimmick at all.
This is the second instalment of BCC’s mission to take us all back to the mid seventies and rocks finest hour. I mean Glenn lived and breathed it. In fact most of it went up his nose, so if anyone should be doing retro it is Glenn. But there is a lot more to this band of course, and Man In The Middle is a mix between old and new. A very old sounding riff mixed with a very heavy modern sound, and a killer hook and melody. The Battle Of Hadrians Wall is a killer track but with Joe singing it, it just feels like a Bonamassa solo tune and takes away from the band vibe. Save Me is a more laid back tune, but with still the heavy vibes and Joe’s playing is killer on this track. Smokestack Woman initial riff and vibe is pure Zeppelin and Jason is channeling his inner dad grooves. Faithless is pure Bonamassa with a great vocal from Glenn. An Ordinary Son is the big number of the album where vocal duties are somewhat shared. I Can See Your Spirit is just a huge riffed up rocker with Glenn doing his best to remind you it’s not a zeppelin riff. Little Secret is just good ole tats blues and this is all about Joe. Crossfire is what I would describe as a Glenn solo tune; a killer heavy funky riff and vibe, it’s what Glenn does best. The album closes out with Cold and it’s a big brooding monster of a close out track. I do like this band and I hope they record again, but I think it works best if they are a band and not doing solo songs within the band environment.
9/10 from the Grooveman.
