After a game-changing 2010 self-titled debut album, Black Country Communion — featuring former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes, renowned blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Led Zeppelin reunion drummer Jason Bonham and former Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian — returns with a sensational follow-up, appropriately called Black Country Communion 2. Now that the band has firmly entrenched itself in for the long run (hopefully), this sophomore effort has given them a perfect opportunity to refine their sound and meld their chemistry. With assistance from producer Kevin Shirley, who had a big hand in BCC’s origins, the group has exceeded all expectations by making a record brimming over with classic interaction, world-class vocals and a wicked, unforgiving bottom end.
One thing about this second album that distinguishes it from the first is that Sherinian’s keyboards have been integrated more thoroughly into the songs. When Sherinian and Bonamassa lock-in together on the opening track, “The Outsider,” they pull off the sort of sleight-of-hand exchanges that made bands like Thin Lizzy and UFO famous. Of course, with Bonham on board, there’s plenty of that Zeppelin heat going around too, especially on tracks like “Save Me,” the soulful “Smokestack Woman,” and “I Can See Your Spirit,” with its misty mountain hop cadence.
While Hughes sings most of the songs, Bonamassa takes the lead on the acoustically based “The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall,” as well as on the mesmerizing “An Ordinary Son.” But where the group truly rises is when they step away from the sphere of influences and conjure a groove that seemingly floated down from the heavens — be it the brash and raw “Man In The Middle” or the borderline epic “Faithless.” Taken as a whole, there’s a sure-footed cohesiveness to Black Country Communion 2 that indicates the band has a solid future if they can stay the course, and avoid the pitfalls that often plague supergroups. We can only hope and pray that ego and commitments elsewhere will allow this already classic band to thrive in a day and age when “real” music is hard to find.
~ Shawn Perry
