Author: Jernej Vene
Artist: Black Country Communion
Label: Mascot Records
Release: 2011
Runtime: 64.17
Rating: 4.5/5
More important than whether a band should keep making music is how to plan the road after a successful debut. Given how quickly bands fall into the second-album syndrome, with the relentless music public always setting the bar sky-high, that kind of pressure and expectation is really just a product of the music press and, by extension, the listeners. At the end of the day everyone chooses what they listen to, it’s just that in today’s fast-moving world it’s harder to dig up the real gems for your musical soul. Well, this time it’s different, because we’re talking about musicians whose names alone are a guarantee of interest, if not downright excitement. Even though we’re forever looking down our noses at all sorts of supergroups, sometimes you have to be fair and give them a chance. Black Country Communion are a supergroup on a grand scale, made up of people from three generations, different musical styles and careers, and different bloodlines. Of course, someone had to stir that amalgam together. This time it’s producer Kevin Shirley, who is increasingly respected in the rock world. He’s got no shortage of experience, just to name a few: Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Journey, Dream Theater, Aerosmith, Rush, and the list goes on.
As usual, great musicians tend to find each other on their own. Bassist and singer Glenn Hughes is known from Trapeze and Deep Purple, while guitarist Joe Bonamassa started his career seventeen years ago as a promising teenage guitar devil in the band Bloodline. He later put together an impressive collection of blues-based solo albums. The two found each other at a joint appearance in a big Hollywood music instrument store. It’s precisely the different outlook that comes with age, and the experience gained along the way, that gave them a fresh take on creating. Hughes is in his sixties today, Bonamassa a little over thirty. The more they created and explored, the closer they got to musical concepts that were meaningful in spirit, like music that Led Zeppelin never recorded. How much speculation there was in 2007, when Led Zeppelin played a concert in memory of their label boss Ahmet Ertegun, about whether they’d be able to play at least a few shows. Nothing came of it all, so the late Zeppelin drummer’s son Jason Bonham was available, and he’s surely the closest thing to him. The new band didn’t want to be just a basic rock trio, so producer Shirley suggested keyboardist Derek Sherinian, owner of many demanding solo records and a former member of Dream Theater. In terms of age, the two fall between Bonamassa and Hughes. The four of them poured their ideas into music that’s a blend of healthy rock, yet today it still belongs to the underground. It’s built on the breathing of mighty drums and a basically floating bass, a guitar that’s just the right amount of distorted and dry, and on textures of vintage organs and ethereal synthesizers. Instrumentally, BCC are masters of their trade, but despite the frightening technical ability they channel their ideas and desires into a friendly sonic environment. Lead singer Glenn Hughes also wrote most of the lyrics, and on this record he mostly deals with the losses everyone faces: failed love, the absence of human warmth, talking with loved ones who are already on the other side, and longing for something better. Everyone can find the noun that fits that adjective.
Joe Bonamassa contributed lyrics to two songs, and with his voice he’s a unique counterpart to Hughes, much calmer and a little thinner, but mostly a nice complement to the old tomcat. Sherinian may be slightly in the background, but it’s true the record would be considerably poorer if he hadn’t left his mark. Add to that the strings, which paint an extra element of mysticism, especially in the gloomily epic songs. They were contributed by seasoned American composer Jeff Bova.
Black Country Communion combine inventive instrumental lines, and rhythms that seem simple on first listen are often hammered home and nearly tangled up, which keeps the listener on edge. At just the right moment the tightened strings let go and they rush off into straightforward rock or a progressive, classic instrumental. Some songs are built on bluesy foundations, led by Bonamassa’s guitar. Dry and direct, fat and backed by effects, whatever its role is in a given song. Bonham is fearless and gentle at once, Sherinian backs his classical training with inventive melodic ideas, and Hughes is outstanding delivering the lyrics with that otherworldly voice, which is simply fantastic for his age. That the guys are very friendly and work great live goes without saying. Black Country Communion released the second record in June 2011, barely nine months after their debut. How many supergroups have stuck together after two records, especially two such decent examples of healthy rock? Precious few, just dig through your memory or the web… Today’s world is full of scams, open and hidden threats, and unpredictable reactions from people in positions of power and ordinary citizens alike. Glenn Hughes sees it all maybe a bit too darkly and doesn’t let much sunshine into his thoughts. Still, for an attentive listener, losing yourself in the music of Black Country Communion 2 is the same as escaping to a desert island.
Line-up
Glenn Hughes – vocals, bass guitar
Joe Bonamassa – vocals, guitar
Derek Sherinian – keyboards
Jason Bonham – drums
Production
Kevin Shirley
Track list
1.The Outsider 4,23
2.Man In The Middle 4,35
3.The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall 5,11
4.Save Me 7,43
5.Smokestack Woman 5,10
6.Faithless 5,12
7.An Ordinary Son 7,59
8.I Can See Your Spirit 4,12
9.Little Secret 6,59
10.Crossfire 6,03
11.Cold 6,55
