"The band have enough experience and style of their own for it never to sound like a pastiche": Black Country Communion's debut album is a heartfelt homage to 1973

It doesn’t matter how many times critics describe Glenn Hughes as ‘The Voice Of Rock’, that ‘voice’ needs a home; like the one it had in Deep Purple. Hughes and his insane white soul boy holler found its most gainful employment since Purple alongside guitarist Joe Bonamassa and drummer Jason ‘Son Of John’ Bonham.

The end result, released in 2010, was a musical whole bolted and sewn together from so many constituent parts – little riffs of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath here, great chunks of Led Zeppelin and Free there – they could have called the band Frankenstein’s Monster, so visible are the metaphorical bolts in the neck and foot-long facial scars. Indeed, it would be easy to deride Black Country Communion for a stunning lack of originality that, lyrically, sees a plentiful distribution of “soldiers of fortune” and “beggermen” residing in “broken castles”.

It would be easy to knock, that is, if the whole thing didn’t sound so good. And expecting a group like this to try to exist without the bell-bottom, bong and black light clichés would be like asking a trad-jazz band to do away with the boaters. This is rock with a capital ‘R’ and you either completely buy into it or not at all.

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Other albums released in September 2010

• Tarja - What Lies Beneath
• Death Angel - Relentless Retribution
• Helmet - Seeing Eye Dog
• Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy
• Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns
• Weezer - Hurley
• DragonForce - Twilight Dementia
• Grinderman - Grinderman
• Phil Collins - Going Back
• Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
• Maroon 5 - Hands All Over
• Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from A Young Man
• Serj Tankian - Imperfect Harmonies
• Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra
• Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
• Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent
• Bad Religion - The Dissent of Man
• Electric Six - Zodiac
• Jimmy Eat World - Invented
• Mushroomhead - Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children

What they said...

"From the first number, consider yourself blown away. Black Country comes in like a fast-approaching thunderstorm: Hughes’ bass and Bonham’s drums serve as the driving-force winds; Sherinian, the accentual rain; Joe Bonamassa’s guitar leads as the severe lightning; and Hughes' vocals as the God Zeus bellow from the heavens (think of a combination of Ian Gillan and Chris Cornell). It’s a five-star classic song that is a prelude to the songs that follow." (Goldmine)

"A cover of Trapeze's Medusa brings it all back to the beginning for Hughes; the overcast mid-section of The Revolution in Me gives Sherinian some room to roam; and Bonamassa's solos show equal doses of tasteful restraint (The Great Divide) and boastful abandon (Beggerman) throughout, leaving just a few songs lost in the shuffle (even though the out-of-sorts, AC/DC-gone-Sunset Strip of Sista Jane is impossible to ignore). (AllMusic)

"Hughes in particular is on fire and in better voice than ever. Somehow – God alone knows how – wasted years of cocaine and Mars Bar binges (don’t ask) haven’t trashed any part of his anatomy required for singing. Blazing performances aside, the key here is the songs, which are wonderfully crafted. The title track is an attention-grabbing opener, while current single One Last Soul is simply outstanding, but there’s really nothing here that shouldn’t be. These guys have defied the odds to deliver a collection that’s all gold and no albatross." (BBC)

What you said...

Mike Canoe: I am pretty sure that Glenn Hughes could sing the words on the back of a cereal box and make it sound compelling. The opening track Black Country reminds us what a great bass player he is, too. I'm a latecomer to Joe Bonamassa because I didn't think I needed another white blues guitarist in my life, but he's a pretty compelling player who does much more than just aping the blues.

Of course, we all know Jason Bonham from his work with Steel Dragon. Have you ever noticed that there's often one guy in a supergroup that you've never heard of before? See Velvet Revolver, Damn Yankees, Bad English. This time it's keyboardist Derek Sherinian, whose work is, umm, very subtle. Came in loving One Last Soul, and have added Song of Yesterday, Black Country, and the Medusa reboot to that list.

Brian Carr: Man, what a stellar band. Black Country Communion has been on my radar, if not since this debut, for a long period of time. I don’t remember for certain, but it could have been Classic Rock magazine that made me aware of them.

Personally, I’ve found many supergroups don’t quite live up to the excitement and expectations. The players might be great, even legendary, but the songs often aren’t as great as hoped. That isn’t the case with Black Country Communion: Black Country and Beggarman are burners; One Last Soul and The Great Divide have glorious hooks; Song Of Yesterday is absolutely epic.

As much as they blow me away, I honestly don’t know why Black Country Communion often falls under my radar. Even this week, this fantastic record was chosen on my first full week of school, leaving me little time to dive in deep. But even with limited time, I had to jump in and gush.

Webb McQuiddy: Great album, but BCC2 is better. Live Over Europe is monstrous!

Nigel Mawdsley: Having read the reviews in the music press I bought this album on release.

I haven't played the album for many years, and it was good to revisit.

Undeniably superb musicianship, but, for me personally, a lot of the songs merge into one and I guess I was 'drawn in' by the 'hype' on purchase.

My favourite songs on the album are One Last Soul and Sista Jane, so you can see where my rock influences lean towards.

Having said the above, I can understand why rock fans hail it as a great album, just doesn't quite hit the mark for me. 7 out of 10.

Black Country Communion- Black Country- LIVE Over Europe DVD - YouTube

Watch On

John Davidson: For once, a supergroup that actually works.

Led by one of rocks great survivors, Glenn Hughes provides bass and vocals and blues guitar supremo Joe Bonamassa brings an unashamed love of classic rock to his playing and singing. The two leads are ably supported by Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian on drums and keyboards.

Opener Black Country starts with a galloping bass run and it sets the scene for what is to come - this is a love letter to the fans of Zeppelinish classic rock from start to finish. Fortunately the band have enough experience and style of their own for it never to sound like a pastiche even when, on Revolution In Me, Bonamassa switches his style to evoke Blackmore.

Highlights are Black Country, Song Of Yesterday, Medusa (a cover of the Trapeze song) and Sista Jane, but I could have picked almost any of them. A rare 9/10 from me and only a point knocked off because Hughes wails once too often on a couple of songs.

What's more remarkable is that this album was no fluke. Although I've yet to listen to V, their subsequent albums all have much to commend them.

Henry Martinez: While this is a supergroup of equals, for some reason I've always associated Black Country Communion with Jason Bonham. And why not? Ever since he joined Jimmy Page on the somewhat underrated Outrider, he's racked up impressive credits - Foreigner, Sammy Hagar's Circle, the VH1 concoction Damnocracy (with Ted Nugent, Sebastian Bach, Scott Ian and Evan Seinfeld), UFO for a minute, and the topper of them all, Zeppelin at the O2.

Aside from the Zep gig, when he was arguably the star of the show, Black Country Communion is Bonham at his most comfortable. It's clear that he enjoys his Midlands mates, with the debut showing the gravitas of a real band rather than a collaboration of convenience like we've seen with HSAS, The Law, Mad Season, among others. Bravo for the Black Country!

Martin Roberts: I had never heard of this band. First track, strong opening. Then, One Last Soul, which I really enjoyed. The Great Divide has a great guitar riff. Beggarman? Good guitar riff. Song Of Yesterday is slower with a good solo. I liked the slow part in Medusa. Too Late For The Sun has a good bass line and solo. I thought the bass playing was good. Overall, 7 out of 10.

Barry Johnson: A great album with hints of styles from those classic big name bands of the 1970's

Greg Schwepe: About a year ago I wrote in a review that I really didn’t get into a lot of new bands that came into being and released debut albums after the year 2000 and there were only a handful of those new ones I followed religiously. But Black Country Communion are one of those new bands where I purchased a physical copy of each album upon release. And oh yeah, turns out there were a lot more of those new bands that I liked after all. Silly me and my short term musical memory.

On the surface here you’ve got a new classic rock supergroup, which is kind of a dichotomy in itself: Glenn Hughes being one of the voices (and bass too) of the Deep Purple Mark III lineup; the Led Zeppelin drumming DNA of Jason Bonham; the guitar of vintage guitar hunter/collector Joe Bonamassa; and journeyman keyboardist Derek Sherinian.

In one article I read, Glenn Hughes described the album’s vibe as sounding like 1973. From the ringing bass intro of the title track to the staccato riff of One Last Soul, the entire album just works for me. All the pieces fit, and each member brings along their musical skillset which made this an album I had on repeat.

While Bonamassa has his own style, he can channel all the masters that came before him which created the basis for BCC’s own vibe. Same with Bonham, who brings his own drumming style, but lives in the long shadow of his father’s influence. Totally take what your Dad gave you and use it!

Glenn Hughes brings a unique vocal style that can wail when needed. Here in the U.S., only hardcore rock music geeks like those of us writing or reading this review will know who he is. U.S. FM rock radio never knew Deep Purple MK III existed.

In theory, if you liked Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, or any other band from that era, you will probably like this. And am guessing that’s how the marketing people from their record company promoted this too.

This was an album where I listened a lot, was a cool discovery, and I patiently waited for their next release, and the next, and the next. You get the idea. 9 out of 10 on this one for me.

Mark Herrington: Black Country Communion's 2010 debut is an assured, hard-rocking homage to the best of 70s rock. Not surprising, given Glenn Hughes' legendary rock pedigree from the 1960s onwards. His vocals are still impressive, considering the longevity of his career, fused perfectly here with guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham and keyboardist Derek Sherinian.

The sheer enthusiasm and skill on display, combined with an impressive variety of songs, make for a thrilling debut. The intense opener Black Country is followed by One Last Soul , a compulsive rocker that stays with you long after.

As the album continues in this vein, it takes hold, showcasing well-crafted rock songs, progressive moments and reflective sections in great balance. A high score from me.

Final score: 7.76 (64 votes cast, total score 497)

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