2

What for?

We usually treat all-star bands like the recently formed English group Black Country Communion with both respect and alert. Members of such formations have their names registered amongst the elite long before their appearance and tend to gather these bands just for fun. After all, can you say what is left to prove and say for Glenn Hughes, a legend of the golden era of hard rock, part of Deep Purple and a great many other projects including collaborations with Tommy Iommi and Gary Moore? Black Country CommunionЎЇs other participant, the brilliant guitarist Joe Bonamassa seems to be quite satisfied with his solo career, now going through a certain period of blossom, and the said ensemble looks like just a distraction to him. For Derek Sherinian, once prog-metal Dream Theater keyboardist, the Black Country Communion music hardly is the right choice because this nothing but remake of the seventies hard-rock. And we have only the drummer Jayson Bonham, son of the Led ZeppelinЎЇs drummer John Bonham, who should be highly motivated to work in this project for there is nothing worse for a talented musician that fame that he did not earn with his work, but inherited from a glorious ancestor.

Hughes and Co get down to work

Black Country CommunionЎЇs album number one, bearing some unoriginal title, Black Country, was expectedly quite grayish. The musicians, enjoying their own skills, put out a set of clichЁ¦s, formed in many years of the genreЎЇs existence, and found it complacent. Still, a year later, the band came up with another effort, again named very simplistically, 2. Looks like, the established musicians of this formation paid no mind to the cover and the name, keeping focus on the music. And we have enough music on 2, more than an hour. The entire material is divided in eleven tracks, generally speaking, following the music traces left by the debut work. But there is something that is not the same. Unlike the first CD, this one features a well-organized band of like-minded men who no longer want to show themselves, but work hard to reach one high goal. Sure, Hughes remains a standout figure here, and BonamassaЎЇs efforts in a couple of songs (The Battle For HadrianЎЇs Wall, and An Ordinary Son) to outdo him vocally sound weak and unconvincing. But when it comes to guitar Joe is the man. The best examples of his unsurpassed play are the opener The Outsider with his trademark style easily recognized, and Save Me with Joe borrowing elements of Jimi HendrixЎЇs technique.

2 is a big achievement by a big band

The largest part of 2ЎЇ material brings up sweet associations with the whales of classic rock Led Zeppelin. We are talking about, for instance, the apparent energetic hit Man In The Middle, and the more thoughtful and skills-taking I Can See Your Spirit. Hughes, who feels particularly confident in this music, sings remarkably nicely in the blues-based Little Secret just as well. It should be reminded that GlennЎЇs another duty is bass guitar, and together with Jayson Bonham they did a great job to provide each of the eleven tracks here with everlasting rhythm and vibe. And do not forget the marvelous master Sherinian whose keyboard parts are just another solo performance instead of just backup for the rest of the team. The conclusion is all Black Country Communion men managed to use their strong sides without grabbing the whole attention. 2 sounds like one good CD from a group of musicians who know perfectly what they want to play and how to play it. So far, the bandЎЇs been mostly copying the established pioneers of the genre rather than making something of their own, but as time goes by they must develop a unique style.