Tag: black country communion

Now I love the premiss and the idea behind Black Country Communion. A modern day hard rockin’ band in the tradition of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple is a great concept on paper. I mean, you have a son of one and a member of the other in the band, how close can you get?

However, I think this will be their last album as there is not one song here that you think “WOW, what a killer tune,” and maybe the well of ideas has run dry. Sure, it’s a decent enough album but it lacks that big moment. The only song that I really like is Red Sun and that feels a bit like a Glenn solo track. It has a nice deep riff and groove and a cool vocal from him.

I’ve played the album five times straight and it’s definitely their weakest record. If they are to carry on (which I doubt) they need to have some outside input with the writing, an injection of fresh ideas.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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.

This is the album that brought them back together, after Glen threw his toys away when Joe wouldn’t make BCC his priority band. Would you if you had a super successful solo career? Nope, and neither would I! Kevin Shirley always said he would have loved to have produced Zeppelin, and I guess this is as close as he will get. Except, this is Zeppelin with keyboards and a better singer.

Opening track, Collide, is Joe trying his best Jimmy Page impression – even the tone is super close – and Jason’s drum sound is so close to his dad’s. Over My Head feels like a song that would be on a Hughes solo album with a slight funky undertone. The Last Song For My Resting Place starts with Jo Bo on lead vocal, and sounds as though it’s his solo album. I’m not sure why there is a Keyboardist to be honest, as they just use him as strings substitute in the most part. Sway shows this perfectly, again, we have that big rock sound with the funky undertone – and the keys seem to be an after thought. Sons Of Apollo is next and that’s how you use Derek Sherinian.

Now, you may be getting the impression that I don’t like this album. But that’s wrong – I do – it’s just that I think this project may have run it’s course. I don’t think they have an identity of their own, and they just sound as though they are paying homage to what’s gone before. However, Glenn is an unbelievable vocalist, and Joe is a killer guitarist, and both Jason and Derek are at the top of their games also. They could have mixed the old with the new and come up with something of their own. The production is great and delivers that stripped back old late seventies classic rock sound that Shirley is so good at.

I think the first album is the best and this gets 8/10 from The Grooveman.