Album Review- 2 by Black Country Communion

as seen on www.eburban.com

It is refreshing when a rock band has the balls to simply let it rip in the studio. This second offering from the multi talented super group Black Country Communion is appropriately named 2, which at times sounds like a jam session and then some. 2 is a masterful album that combines rock and blues influences from past and present and blends it into this eleven track instant classic. It is tight from top to bottom, with no real “filler” tracks. BCC is a legendary quartet featuring frontman and bass guitarist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath), blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa (Bloodline), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X).

Hughes’ vocal range is off-the-charts magnificent throughout; selected tracks where you can sample the many flavors of the singer’s capabilities are “The Outsider”, “Save Me”, and “Little Secret”.

Bonamassa displays his array of talents up and down the album with a broad arrangement of high-energy rifts, bluesy guitar chords and powerful killer solos usually found only in live shows. Fans of this, and arena rock will jam right along. You can hear shards of a Zeppelin style among various numbers, and that influence is heavily pronounced in “Smokestack Woman”, “The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall”, and “An Ordinary Son”. Bonamassa is featured on vocals as well on the latter two tracks.

Sherinian’s keyboard presence permeates the album with hypnotic sounds that flow brilliantly with the rest of the band, and Bonham’s thrashing skill set behind the skins and percussions is outstanding.

Lenny Kravitz once sang “Rock And Roll is Dead”, but little did he know that rock and roll would live on through Black Country Communion and be revolutionized on 2.

Final Words: Grab this album, CD, or MP3, especially since it’s a dying breed.

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