Before I can review "Black Country Communion" I must first explain the term "Super Group." The definition of a "Super Group" is a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups (Asia, Bad English, Damn Yankees or more recently Chickenfoot & Tinted Windows).
And so in 2010 we have Black Country Communion with Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) on lead vocals and bass guitar, Jason Bonham (Bonham, UFO, Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham on, of course, drums, Joe Bonamassa (solo blues rock recording artist) on guitar and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, Yngwie Malmsteen, Billy Idol) on keyboards. So have you ever heard of these individual members? Actually a lot of people might not have. I mean, let's be honest, they aren't really household names like Sammy Hagar or Ted Nugent. But, if you are into hard or melodic rock then you are probably familiar with these band members. So the big question would be… is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? And for me the answer is… no.
The CD starts out promising and the first 3 tracks are great -- especially the lead off track, "Black Country" with Hughes sounding a lot like the late Ronnie James Dio. After that, the songs just kind of plod along. Is the playing great? Absolutely. The rhythm section of Hughes and Bonham is perfect and producer Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Journey) has captured these two at their best. The big problem here is the song writing. The CD contains 12 songs with hardly a "hook" or "sing-a-long chorus" to be found and if that's what "BCC" is going for then fine. But for me it makes listening to this CD more of a chore than a pleasure. As the tracks progress they also get longer and longer with 5 tracks clocking in at 7 or more minutes. By the time you reach the final song, an 11 minute opus entitled "Too Late For The Sun," the last thing you want to do is press play and listen all over again.
Do I think "BCC" has a good CD in them? Yes I do. But just like a great movie starts with a great script, a great CD has to have great songs. Here's hoping "Black Country Communion" can find them the next time out.
Since I like drummers my rating system is 1 - 10 drumsticks.
So drumroll please… 5 out of 10 drumsticks!
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