Producer Kevin Shirley and Black Country Communion have returned with a brilliant follow-up album to 2010's eponymous debut album. The new album "2" kicks off with vintage classic rock will balls in "The Outsider" - an epic tour de force that touches on just about every rock genre you can think of, including prog rock keyboards, circa Yes and Deep Purple, courtesy of former Dream Theater keyboardist, Derek Sherinian.
Track 2 "Man in the Middle" is a gut crunching rock guitar riff with a low bass end threatm which doesn't let up for a single minute. The album flows with non-stop classic riffs and superb musicianship.
Stand out tracks include the Zepplinesque "Save Me", which originally started off as a riff that Jason Bonham came up with after the he played drums at the Led Zeppelin reunion at the London o2 Arena in 2007.
Joe Bonamassa's guitar playing is impeccable throughout, however, the shining star of the album is Glenn Hughes, former Deep Purple "Burn" singer and bassist, who evokes some of the best rock vocals so far this decade. He sings in leaps and bounds, displays real emotional gusto and makes you believe that rock and roll will live forever.
But it's the closer on the album "Cold" that really hits home with it's emotional and heartfield golden rock gods moment.
If there's one classic rock album to own this year, Black Country Communion's "2" has to be the one.