Share the post "Album review: BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION – V"
J&R Adventures [Release date 14.06.24]
After a 7 year hiatus, the Anglo-American super group Black Country Communion return with an album that rocks hard.
There’s plenty of intensity, spirit and a handful of decent tunes with plenty of early 70’s Classic Rock riffs.
Drummer Jason Bonham has reportedly said the band had no concrete ideas when they came together again, but worked organically. And ‘V’ is very that kind of album, being a riff and groove driven project which works hard to capture the collective spark within dreamy, eclectic lyrical landscapes.
There’s a satisfying retro feel to the project as a whole, as if they’re subliminally tapping into their Zeppelin and Purple antecedents, giving Joe Bonamassa all the room he needs to colour the band’s canvas with a tapestry of riffs and tones.
Everything is glued together by Glenn Hughes impassioned vocals and snaking bass lines, Derek Sherinian’s layered keys and earthy B3, and Jason Bonham’s bombastic bluster.
In many ways ‘V’ is a restatement of the band’s ability to update the early 70’s rock template into a contemporary cross-generational mould.
They achieve that via Zeppelin, Purple and even Angus Young riffs, leaving enough room to incorporate Hughes’s funky feel and his ability to find emotional substance in even the hammiest lines.
At their best Black Country Communion lock into grooves and work their way towards catchy uplifting hooks as on the second single ‘Enlighten’, on which a combination of the flinty riffs and Hughes’s startling vocal searches for a sense of grandeur.
The lead single ‘Stay Free’ fuses Steve Wonder with Zeppelin over crashing chords and a rich vocal chorus complete with a gospel style wail.
Bonamassa’s husky toned solo, unexpectedly veers into a spacey Steve Hillage territory, while Hughes’s loping bass runs and Bonham’s crunch give the track a stomping feel.
‘Red Sun’ recovers from a lumbering opening riff and an all too familiar lyrical opening (“On my way to Avalon”). to being an expansive track. A stonking Zeppelin style riff and an animated Hughes vocal eventually settles on a repeated chanted hook.
It’s the perfect example of Hughes’s ability to weave elusive poetic lyrics into a heavy arrangement, giving the music an ethereal feel, as on: “Drawn to the skyline, Into the maze, Lost in the harmony,” and “I see the bluebird fall, Inside a dream, Ghost in the karma, Last stargaze, Beside the haunted sea.”
‘Restless’ is another highlight. The bluesy feel allows us to catch our breath, as Hughes draws us into a sultry groove with an intuitive intro vocal.
His extended phrasing is an exercise in subtle dynamics and the power of suggestion.
He further revels in extending a note over some perfect band accompaniment to create the perfect moment for Bonamassa to deliver another significant burst of notes.
‘Restless’ provides Hughes best vocal performance on the album and it could even have been the title track. It nails the vibe, mood and feel of the set, but perhaps it’s too bluesy to occupy that role.
The AC/DC influenced ‘Letting Go’ is a good example of the way Hughes’s languid vocal sweep and Bonamassa’s tension breaking solo evokes the title of the song, while ‘Skyway’ is an organ-led intro to some Purple riffery with overly familiar ethereal lyrics and another catchy chorus.
From the loose count-in of ‘You’re Not Alone’ onwards, the riffs seem to get heavier as the band works hard to bring fresh impetus, complete with a Sherinian combination of B3 stabs and a melodic sweep.
‘Love & Faith’ is framed by a Kevin Shirley ‘kitchen sink and all’ approach. Topped and tailed by a Joe Cocker ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ style hymnal organ part, it’s also notable a Hughes/Bonamassa duet which features probably one Zeppelin style riff too many.
A combination of Hughes rumbling bass and Bonham’s high-energy drive powers the band into ‘Too Far Gone,’ notable for a fleeting Sherinian B3 flourish.
Hughes clearly enjoys himself, as evidenced by his 3.31 minute exclamatory whoop which leads him to an exuberant extended note outro.
The closing funky ‘The Open Road’, illustrates his ability to inhabit a song, even when sudden tempo change ushers in a Bonamassa, Paul Kossoff style solo.
It’s a curiously mixed back track which gives the album a considered rather than fever pitch finish.
No matter, ‘V’ is a solid reminder of a great band that remains a definitive conduit between classic rock’s past and present. ****
Review by Pete Feenstra
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Latest session: SUNDAY 26 MAY
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 9 June 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 11 June 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 10 June 2024
BASTION ROSE (Epictronic Records)
VOODOO RAMBLE Midnight Ride (indie)
BYWATER CALL As If (indie)
ESCAPE THE PARADIGM Cold (Curtain Call Records)
DEFENCES Gold In The Dark (indie)
BRAVE RIVAL Fairytale (indie)
MOJO ACES Old Crow (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 10 June 2024
09:00-12:00 NESTOR Teenage Rebel (Napalm Records)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 MIRACLE MILE East Of Ely (indie)
To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to an X (Twitter) account
Please note that as at 12.06.24 the X/Twitter embedded timeline appears to be broken. Please click the text link until this is resolved.
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Album review: BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION – V"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
