Black Country Communion
2
J&R Adventures
Produced by Kevin Shirley
Released June 14, 2011 U.S.: CD | MP3
June 13, 2011 UK: CD| MP3

Rock supergroups are often a collaboration amongst musicians when one or more of their respective bands goes belly up. Sometimes, however, they are formed when musicians are taking time away from being awesome in their “˜day job’ to be awesome elsewhere. This brings us to Black Country Communion, a supergroup made up of Glenn Hughes ( “˜the voice of rock’ of Deep Purple fame), Jason Bonham (son of late Led Zeppelin drummer), Derek Sherinian (formerly of Dream Theater), and the new blues king, Joe Bonamassa.

As much of a fan as I am on Glenn Hughes — Deep Purple’s Burn is without question one of the greatest rock albums of all time and You Are The Music”¦We’re Just The Band by his first band Trapeze is one of the most underrated albums of the ’70s — it was the inclusion of guitarist Joe Bonamassa which really piqued my interest in this band. For me, Bonamassa is one of the most exciting and talented blues rock musicians alive. His solo albums demonstrate his great talent in fusing traditional blues with the sheer power and sometimes frightening speed of rock; something which makes blues music more interesting and, quite frankly, cooler. He brings all this and more to the BCC table and to its second album, simply titled 2.

It was over 40 years when “the voice of rock” Glenn Hughes was at the epicenter of the rock explosion from middle England. He found success with the blues rock band Trapeze and went on to join Deep Purple and Black Sabbath (on the Seventh Star album, technically a Tony Iommi solo project) and sell countless albums under his own name.

He has now found yet another winning combination in his latest band Black Country Communion. He talked with me, while still in his rock star PJs, just before BCC heads out on tour. He immediately radiates cool and positive vibes. “Just letting the dog’s out. What’s going on, mate?”

Geeks of Doom: How did Black Country Communion come together?

Glenn Hughes: Joe [Bonamassa] and I were playing at the House of Blues about 18 months ago. Kevin Shirley [BCC producer] was there and he thought it was insanely good and he thought Joe and I, instead of doing a duet album, we should form a rock and roll band. The likes [of which] haven’t been seen for 20, 30 years. And that’s what we did.

Geeks of Doom: Are you comfortable with the “˜Supergroup’ tag?

Russian band Pushking have joined forces with an onslaught of major musicians and vocalists from heavy metal and hard rock to create an impressive line-up on a collaborative album. The release has been titled The World as We Love It, and compiles 19 re-recorded songs from Pushking’s past efforts, with special guests ranging from Paul Stanley (KISS) and Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) to Alice Cooper and Steve Vai!

If you think those four guests listed above is enough, think again. Check out the track listing and the guests on each song by continuing on below.