It's not often that the members of Black Country Communion get together. But when they do, magic happens and the result is usually spectacular.
The hard rock band, whose four members go their separate ways most of the time, is making another comeback. Seven years after their last studio album, singer and bassist Glenn Hughes, guitarist, singer and songwriter Joe Bonamassa, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Jason Bonham are releasing their fifth album.
What got the ball rolling this time was a text message from Bonamassa to the other three members, the guitarist told radio and talk show host Eddie Trunk. "It's been a long time. Does anybody have any interest in gearing up and getting the band back together?" It didn't take long for the others to write back.
"Everybody responded," says Bonamassa, who at 47 is the youngest member of the band. "And Glenn and I got together and we started churning out some riffs. And the one thing is: Long periods of time go with us not playing, but it only takes about a minute and a half and everybody just defaults back to where we left off."
That's exactly how 72-year-old Glenn Hughes sees things, too. Following an acclaimed world tour with songs from his former band Deep Purple, he is once again wowing fans with his spectacular voice and distinctive voice and distinctive bass work on the new Black Country Communion album.
"It's always a pleasure for me to sit down with my friends," said the veteran, who is affectionately known as 'The Voice of Rock'. "We always know we're going to come up with something special - hopefully. And I think we have on this album." And it is.
A Led Zeppelin influence
The members of Black Country Communion clearly didn't spend much time coming up with a clever title. Their new album is simply called "V". But the songwriting is clever.
From the Hammond organ that starts off the groovy "Enlighten" to the ultra funky "Stay Free" to the final sounds of the pleasing funk rock track "The Open Road", the new LP is packed with first-class rock. The ten tracks sound fresh and powerful. A highlight is "Love And Faith", an epic duet by Hughes and Bonamassa, whose riffs and rhythm are inspired by Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir".
The band members all have different priorities. For example, Joe Bonamassa - oddly enough - plays larger venues solo rather than with Black Country Communion. Meanwhile, Hughes is a solo artist, Sherinian is a session musician and Bonham is busy with his "Led Zeppelin Evening" (he's the son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham) and as a member of the band Sammy Hagar and the Circle.
Nevertheless, there is hope that the British-American supergroup, formed in 2009, will keep a few dates free for the future so that they can finally go on tour again with their excellent new album. The band's official website says that live dates are "coming soon". A performance on a Caribbean cruise is already scheduled for next year and Bonham is promising more: "We will play a few shows at the beginning of next year."
