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Hard Rock

Rating: 4.5/5.0

www.blackstonecherry.com
Roadrunner Records
www.myspace.com/blackstonecherry

Black Stone Cherry could and should be the next great American rock band. Rising from a small town in a dry (no-alcohol) county of Kentucky, BSC is steeped in the rich tradition of Southern music whether it be rock, country, bluegrass or Gospel. It's not only in the soil for them, it's also in their blood. All the members of BSC come from families that passed on music and musicianship for two or more generations. Drummer John Fred Young's father was a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Kentucky Headhunters. With this formidable pedigree, Black Stone Cherry brings old school hard rock with a modern sensibility or simply said, roots based modern rock. On 'Folklore & Superstition you will find a heavier southern rock with measures of blues, boogie and echoes of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, but also twists of Soundgarden or Alice In Chains. The music shows strength and maturity for such a young band.

On 'Folklore & Superstition' Black Stone Cherry deftly mixes hard rock riffs with strong vocals, harmonious vocal arrangements, and searing fret work in well-crafted arrangements. This is evident on the brilliant songs 'Long Sleeves,'The Bitter End,' Blind Man,' and 'Devil's Queen.' Then there's the amazing beauty of a grand anthem on 'Peace Is Free,' and a moving ballad on 'Things My Father Said.' These two songs are worth the price of the album; they are that good. 'Please Come In' and 'You' demonstrates how Black Stone Cherry easily blends roots music with modern nuances to create a solid and creative song.

Black Stone Cherry's 'Folklore & Superstition' is a superb work. There is nothing derivative here and certainly nothing that smacks of American label cookie-cutter, mass-manufactured, more-of-the-same hard rock. Black Stone Cherry is vibrant and refreshing, just what American music needs now. Highly recommended!

Black Stone Cherry could be the future of American hard rock. They easily combine old school roots rock with modern sensibilities to create powerful, believable and incredibly enjoyable songs. The next big thing? I hope so.

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Here's a fun fact about Swiss legends, Gotthard: their last 16 releases, excepting their debut album, went to number one in their home country, making them one of Switzerland's most successful acts and ... [ Read More ]