2012 CD Reviews - Black Country Communion - Afterglow

[TageRyche]

Artist: Black Country Communion
Album:  Afterglow
Label: J&R Adventures      Released:2012
http://www.bccommunion.com

When the quartet of singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, standout blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Jason Bonham got together as the "supergroup" Black Country Communion, I don't think anyone really had any idea what they would unleash on the listening audience.

The band's self-titled debut album was a master class in how to deliver a balls out rock and roll album. It was simply fantastic. Their second album, simply entitled 2, was also a very good album, though I preferred the first album more.

As you might imagine, when news came that they were working on a third release, I was very happy to hear it. Hughes has had an outstanding career as a member of Deep Purple, working on releases with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and singer Joe Lynn Turner, as well as his own solo career. Bonamassa is a fast growing musical legend who just makes the guitar sing. Sherinian was formerly a part of progressive metal titans Dream Theater and had his own solo career, and Jason Bonham had his own career with Bonham, various other gigs and oh yeah, substituted for his late father John behind the kit for Led Zeppelin reunion gigs.

A funny thing happened on the way to getting my hands on the disc for review though. The lack of a touring schedule for the band caused Hughes to publicly start a war of words with Bonamassa. The guitarist has an extensive solo touring schedule, something that was apparently quite well known and established with the others in the band before everything got rolling. Bonamassa refused to back down and Hughes then announced that Afterglow might very well be the group's last album.

The back and forth kind of soured me on the group a bit and on first listen, and it affected my enjoyment of the album. So I had to listen multiple times to let the music surround me and shut out all the verbal strife coming from the band members.

This resulted in me enjoying the album a lot more than I initially did.

The album opens with the song "Big Train". It is an uptempo rocker that kicks off with a very heavy drum sound pounding in your ears. The guitar solo from Bonamassa was really good.

With "Midnight Sun" the rocking energy continues and there is another smoking guitar solo. The chorus of the song grows on you through the repetition. Meanwhile, the title track starts off with a slower vibe but throughout the song kicks into a higher gear.

You should also check out the mostly aggressive track "The Giver" for yet another example of the fine fretwork of Bonamassa.

For me, I didn't really care for "The Circle". The song just came off kind of flat to me. While not trying to denigrate the work of people far more talented than I could hope to be myself, tracks like "This Is Your Time", "Dandelion" and "Crawl" left me cold all over. Sadly, not in a good way either. It was almost like they were trying too hard and completely missed the target.

Among some of the chatter I've read online about the album was talk that this album seemed more like a Glenn Hughes solo album than a group effort. If you take the time to read the essay Hughes wrote for the liner notes, you might be even more convinced. While on a couple of tracks, that might seem awfully close to the truth, there are definitely tracks where the band as a whole comes together and just delivers fire and brimstone rock and roll on an epic scale.

The number "Confessor" rips across your forebrain with amazing guitar riffs and the band gels together magnificently on "Cry Freedom". They manage to keep the song on an aggressive note yet work in a very cool rhythmic groove as well. These two songs shine a light on just how fantastic the foursome can be when they set their minds to it. They are two of the best songs recorded by the band across the three albums.

A pounding rhythm section, keyboards to bring more melody into the mix the scratchy yet powerful vocals, and quite possibly the best working guitarist in music these days gives you hope for the future of rock and roll.

I didn't love the album, 4 songs out of 11 being, to my mind anyway, mediocre tends to affect the appreciation of the entirety of the CD no matter how many times you listen to it.

But those other 7 tracks more than make up for the disappointment. I don't know what the future will bring for Black Country Communion, but if this indeed the last release from the group, they go out heads held high with yet another example of what it takes to reinforce all that is great about rock and roll.

You may not need a cigarette after listening to the album but you will definitely bask in the Afterglow.

 

[RJhog (Admin)]

For some reason, I just don't enjoy this album as a whole like I did the previous effort.  That one I really liked.  I'm kind of in the same frame of mind as Jay as far as the songs that are best.  Especially Big Train and Midnight Sun.  Those two are my overall favorites.  Still, I certainly hope to hear more from this band in the future.