Review: Black Country Communion ‘V’
By Hal Horowitz
On paper this is a supergroup comprised of veterans Glenn Hughes (bass, lead vocals), Joe Bonamassa (guitar), Derek Sherinian (keys) and drummer Jason Bonham. But there is a fifth, less obvious, ingredient to the combo’s successful hard rocking, bluesy sound; producer Kevin Shirley.
Shirley has been an influential even essential element in the creation of this aggregation’s previous four albums. He returns to that chair for this fifth incarnation, which keeps the group’s rugged approach consistent, while delivering a mix that focuses, generally equally, on each talented member.
Little has changed in the quartet’s musical direction on V (arriving seven years and one pandemic after the similarly named BCCC lV). The time saved titling the effort was spent crafting gripping original material.
The specter of Led Zeppelin meets Deep Purple is never far from the table, enhanced by Bonham and Hughes’ names and contributions. But it’s more explicitly evident on riff based firebombs like “Love and Faith” and the stop-start propulsion of “Letting Go.” Still, that’s just part of the equation.
Throw in some Soundgarden (the late Chris Cornell sounded an awful lot like Hughes), a pinch of Gov’t Mule’s dusky blues-drenched rock and just enough prog to push the band’s boundaries past simply coalescing around their musical influences.
The funk that underpins “Stay Free” (which includes two female backing singers adding tinges of soul) and a catchy chorus primed for in-concert sing-alongs brings a diverse slant to the insistent, nearly non-stop assault. As the sole guitarist in a guitar oriented sound, Bonamassa sweats it out. He tosses off thick, pulsating, often distorted licks that only occasionally, such as on the throbbing, Zep-ish “You’re Not Alone,” sound too close to Jimmy Page for comfort.
There’s an off-ramp into Bonamassa’s Brit blues influences in the Gary Moore-styled, slowly stirred “Restless.” It’s the lone moment in this 10 track, 50 minute album where the listener gets a chance to catch their breath. Otherwise it’s one corker after the next, each sporting sufficient hooks to differentiate it from the previous one.
Hughes’ chest-beating singing has seldom been better. He pummels out words like “Wound like I’ve never seen/Underneath the smoke screen/Out in the revelry/I will be your devotee (from “Gone Too Far”) as if he knows what they mean, even if we don’t. Bonamassa crashes and burns in with taut abandon, driving punch-to-your-gut sizzlers like “Love and Faith” with power and precision. Those who go back a few decades might notice references to the classic years of Blackmore’s Rainbow, UFO or even Golden Earring, letting you bask in the glow of the 70s rawk nourishing the pulse in Black Country Communion’s veins.
But it’s the change-ups that bring freshness to music which might initially seem to be reveling in past glories. Take the Booker T. and MGs’ rhythm percolating under the closing “The Open Road” before it shifts into growling Black Sabbath territory, then revs up with prime-era Bad Company vibes. It shows how BBC weaves different stimuli into their rocking cloth.
Even though these players are dedicated to other projects (it’s worth wondering where Bonamassa finds the time), they congeal like a road hardened unit. Kudos to Shirley whose man-behind-the-curtain sonic supervision provides the road map for these guys to let loose and detonate like the pros they are.
The promotional notes quote him as saying “I think this is the one that is going to be the benchmark for Black Country Communion.”
That, it most certainly is.
“Red Sun”
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