Black Stone Cherry – The Human Condition
Release Date: 30th October 2020
Label: Mascot Label Group
Bandcamp
Genre: Southern Rock, American Hard Rock.
FFO: Monster Truck, Theory of a Deadman, Blackberry Smoke.
Review By: Paul Franklin
It is official. This is the year the whole planet has gone batshit crazy! We have a US President who now sees himself as some kind of dad-dancing immortal (possibly after being bitten by a disinfected spider!) and a whole UK population restricted and baffled by an ever changing set of rules which are as clear and easy to follow as the plot of the latest Christopher Nolan epic. It’s in times like these that we need something comforting to rely on, something that we know we can trust, something that won’t let us down.
Thank you Black Stone Cherry!
Having spent the last two decades revitalizing the tradition of hard-edged Southern Rock with burly riffs and stirring hooks, a new BSC album was never going to be a massive curveball. No, the Kentucky foursome just wanna rock! And the question is not what the album sounds like (it sounds like a BSC album) but, is does it sound like a good BSC album?
Yes, it does!
I had passed on the last album, Family Tree, after finding 2016’s Kentucky to be a bit repetitive, it was gloriously thunderous, but it was all thunderous and as such lacked a little light and shade. The Human Condition is a big improvement. This may be because ‘for the first time, the band opted to not record basics live and instead meticulously multitracked. Each member endured gruelling sessions to ensure the collective studio mindset of achieving ‘epic performances.” Completely agree.
The album was completed prior to the current ‘batshit crazy’ lockdown, and first track, the mid-paced stomp Ringin’ In My Head (although apparently written 4 years ago) proves strangely prophetic, opening as it does with the line “People, people your attention please, I need to tell you about a new disease.” Next up is the single Again, a straight up rocker with a mean solo. Reading the fans reaction, they too feel that this is a return to form for the band.
Drummer John Fred Young explains “Every song on this album tells a story of the experiences we all go through – our happiness, our struggles, and how we have to adapt.” One such struggle is the mental health issues that have impacted vocalist/guitarist Chris Robertson, which he addresses on the dynamic ‘swamp-metal’ Push Down and Turn. The title refers to the opening instructions on a bottle of pills, and, particularly in these times of uncertainty, and with more and more people being encouraged to discuss their mental health (especially what are traditionally seen as strong male figures) it’s really heartening to see such bold advocation of not suffering alone and seeking treatment. “I suffer from manic depression, and I have severe anxiety. I want to convey it’s okay to go to a doctor and talk about these issues. There is no shame or stigma there,” – Chris Robertson.
Whilst the mountainous riffs and organic grooves continue with the likes of Live This Way, The Chain (no not that one! there is a cover of a classic song here, but it’s not this) and Ride, there are also a couple of Southern-fried ballads. In Love With The Pain conjures the late-night longing of a love lost and regretted, and If My Heart Had Wings is the ‘Michael Bay – say goodbye to the girl you love whilst you sacrifice your life to save the world’ track that Aerosmith previously owned. But, with a bit more muscle! The cover song comes in the form of ELO’s Don’t Bring Me Down. Where the band add their own low-slung southern swagger to the original’s strutting grooves
Some Stories is another track which could be seen as particularly relevant in today’s zeitgeist, dealing as it does with the idea of conspiracy theories, paranoia and not believing everything you are told (tin foil hats optional).
And then, to conclude the anthemic Keep On Keepin’ On sounds like both a promise of intent from BSC and a perfect message for us all in these strange days.
Thanks again BSC!
(4 / 5)
