I have been playing the Black Country Communion Live Over Europe album almost non-stop over the last few weeks. They are a bit like Led Zeppelin in that they belt most things out, but Glenn Hughes has light and shade in his vocals and Joe Bonamassa, being a traditional blues-rock guitarist, can ebb and flow. This may be controversial, but I do not think Jason Bonham is uninhibitedly loud like his dad, nor does he rely on monotonous double-kick drums, rather his work is tasteful and keeps everything together. Derek Sherinian plays in a style somewhere between the soloing of Jon Lord and the symphonic support of . . . well, I'm not sure. If I have a complaint and it is very minor, I would like to hear a bit more of Derek Sherinian. I pray that they hold it together for at least one more album, to give him chance to really shine.
Lead vocals are mainly handled by Glenn Hughes, as you would expect, but they are shared with Joe Bonamassa, beyond being a token gesture. Joe sounds a bit like Glenn Hughes, but without the lungs from hell, and they harmonise well together. It's good to hear Glenn not singing with another shouter, and without backing from a full-on shredder. If Glenn had not become less strained with age, I would say this reminds me a bit of Medusa-era Trapeze with Mel Galley. It is a tribute to Joe Bonamassa, that Glenn has worked with some fantastic guitarists, like Mel, Ritchie Blackmore, Pat Thrall, Tony Iommi and others, but has not made a better album.
One of the standout tracks for me, is The Ballad of John Henry from one of Joe's solo albums, and it is refreshing to hear someone with Glenn's back-catalogue not relying on his own past. Nevertheless, I would not object to hearing them cover Coast to Coast, Sail Away, Soul Mover or Bonham Snr's Rock 'n' Roll.
