Black Country Communion BCCIV album review


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2017 Black Country Communion new album.

Back in early 2013 as the band disbanded in acrimonious circumstances after the cancelling of a show in Wolverhampton in support of third album Afterglow that first statement seemed like it would never happen.

But on the 22nd of September via the Mascot Label Group BCCIV is released and the modern day super group of Glenn Hughes,Joe Bonamassa,Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian are back and how.

61 minutes of classic rock played with an energy,verve and passion that is there for all to see and a sheer joy at being back in the saddle creating new music that sets boundaries for others to follow.

Fifth member Kevin Shirley has done a marvellous job with a production that crackles when it needs to and takes it down again when it needs to giving every musician a chance to breathe and let class show across the board.
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Photo Credit: © Neil Zlozower

What I love is the album has it's 4 minute straight ahead rocker in opener Collide all big Joe guitar riff and crashing Jason drum rhythm and Glenn's voice soaring to the rafters and Derek's keyboard's giving a real depth of sound and a groove that will move oceans and blasting the last 4 years away just like that.It's a statement of intent.
Black Country Communion are back.

Over My Head has a stop start guitar riff from Joe mirrored by Jason's drum track and Glenn vocal dynamics with a 2 tone held note on Glenn's voice on the chorus before a lowered vocal note on the second part of the chorus.It works so well and shows off The Voice Of Rock in his element.

The Last Song For My Resting Place is the first album's Song Of Yesterday with Joe on vocal's on a song that will simply crush live.The song depicts the story of Wallace Hartley, the bandleader on board the RMS Titanic, who heroically played on with his musical compatriots as the ship went down. Subsequently, the distinctive undertones of both fiddle and mandolin help to illustrate the story, the track itself is epic as it dips and soars with Glenn on backing vocals in the chorus.Love as the song dips after the chorus a huge guitar riff kicks in twice and you can see it live as the lights going on and then down for a full band workout with Glenn's bass under laying a simply stunning Joe guitar solo that tops of a song that the word epic was made for.8 minutes of sheer perfection.

Sway is an out and out rocker built on Joe's stop start guitar riff and Derek's keys sway at the start quite prominently and then blend in but re appear at the start of the second chorus and give the song a real depth as that Hammond sound does.A Led Zeppelin feel to the whole song and Joe again hits the mark on a guitar solo that shows power and he can shred with the best of them.

The Cove is a very personal song for Glenn as it is about the brutal slaughter of dolphins in the coastal town of Taiji in Japan that happens year after year and he has been working with The Dolphin Project to help where he can.7 minutes with Glenn at his mesmerising best with a simply stunning vocal that shows his pain and that of the dolphins too and Joe's guitar solo also has a feel of pain to it with some notes off the scale.Jason is simply incredible throughout the song with a master class his dad would be proud of.
Shirley's production shines too.

The Crow is a balls out rocker with Glenn at his high end best with everyone getting a chance to be centre stage mid song with a bass solo,keys solo and guitar solo all with Jason on top form with a range of drum rhythm's that stagger.

Wanderlust is another 8 minute plus beauty with a great Glenn chorus and a rolling riff and groove with a different feel mid song where Joe solo's with Glenn's bass under pinning it and Derek's piano high in the mix and it all goes up to a crescendo with Jason again excelling before settling back into the original riff.At the outro a new heavier guitar riff starts and Joe then solo's in fantastic extended fashion with melody and poise with a full band workout underneath.Another sure fire live favourite.

Love Remains and Awake both sit in the 4 to 5 minute time scale with the former built on a stop start fuzzy guitar riff and Jason's drum punching through and a lengthy Glenn chorus in a held out note falsetto.Underneath Jason plays a different rhythm followed by another but always in the same beat all so very clever.The latter has a funky feel in the chorus before a more insistent held guitar note riff with Derek's keys under it.Mid song there is a guitar/key/guitar/keys interlude that could have been extended.

When The Morning Comes finishes the album in epic fashion with a near 8 minute song that ebbs and flows from acoustic beginnings and a measured chorus that builds past the second chorus into a free flowing smorgasbord of musical dexterity with Joe's soaring guitar solo a feature and Jason showing yet more thundering presence.

Black Country Communion BCCIV will top many end of year list's with an album that has many layers and every play reveals more and more stand out moments.
The sum of all parts really is so true for this release and lets hope and pray for more as this super group have been so missed.

Superb.

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Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes & Jason Bonham. Photo Credit: © Christie Goodwin
Derek Sherinian. Photo Credit: © Rick Gould

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