Black Country Communion 2 Mascot Records
Release date 13th June 2011
A highly anticipated release this one. I've spent a lot of time lately listening to Joe Bonamassa, so when the CD arrived it was straight on the player. This collection of songs is BIG in stature, and the whole album has been brought together brilliantly for the second time by producer Kevin Shirley, who also handled the Black Country Communion debut. If you didn't know, Black Country Communion are:
Glenn Hughes - Bass, Vocals / Joe Bonamassa - Guitar, Vocals / Jason Bonham - Drums / Derek Sherinian - Keyboards
The Outsider opens up the album and gloriously thunders along at a frenetic pace. Everyone gets a look in here with Sherinian doing much of the work. The Man In The Middle had me banging my head to the pounding of the Bonham drums whilst Hughes wails like a jet engine stuck in my ear. What struck me most about this song was the versatility of Bonamassa. He really can play anything. He takes lead vocals on the next song The Battle Of Hadrians Wall, which builds slowly with Bonham's magnificent sticks really crowning the piece.
Next up is Save Me sounding like vintage Zeppelin with a catchy chorus. It's a delightful seven minutes and forty three seconds with the whole band giving no quarter. Smokestack Woman contains Bonamassive riffage in full effect in another Zeppelin infused number. In Faithless the guys get rather funky with a prominent Sherinian, and Ordinary Son sees Joe stealing lead vocals again. Ordinary Son for me is the exceptional song on the album. But only by a whisker. With a slow smouldering start and deeply touching lyrics, the whole number is outstanding emotional rock poetry, that I think no self respecting lover of rock music should ignore.
On I Can See Your Spirit , Hughes really comes into his own. This is an enormous strutter of a song. I love it. Glen has really got it going on and boy, this would be great to hear live. Just when you think it can't any better it does. Along comes Little Secret which is a fine, crafted blues rock song with Bonamassa not letting up for one second whatsoever. The last two tracks on the album; Crossfire and Cold are both lyrically stunning and on both the brew of Bonamassa and Hughes is again most potent. So, with eleven tracks and an hour an four minutes running time, we have a masterpiece. These four musicians combine with each other perfectly and as a combination can do no wrong in my eyes.
Rob Pope
Guitarist TV
Stunning Black Country Communion 2 album cover images kindly supplied by Noble PR Consultancy
Visit Black Country Communions website here for news, downloads, merchandise and tour dates.
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