| Black Country | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Black Country Communion | ||||
| Released | September 20, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | January–April 2010 at Shangri La Studios, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues-rock | |||
| Length | 72:35 | |||
| Label | Mascot (UK) J & R Adventures (US) |
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| Producer | Kevin Shirley | |||
| Black Country Communion chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Black Country | ||||
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Black Country is the debut release by the English-American rock supergroup Black Country Communion.[1] The album was released in Europe on 20 September 2010, and in the US one day later.[2]
Contents |
The band was originally conceived during a concert being held for Guitar Center in November 2009. Joe Bonamassa, who was performing, was asked by Guitar Center to invite several friends along, one of which was former Trapeze and Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes. Hughes joined Bonamassa for several songs on stage, which was noticed by producer Kevin Shirley, who had worked with Bonamassa before, on several of his solo albums. Shirley approached Hughes and Bonamassa with the concept of making a studio album under a band moniker. Not long afterwards, drummer Jason Bonham was recruited into the band by Shirley. The concept of a power trio didn't satisfy Bonamassa however, so Derek Sherinian, formerly of Dream Theater and Billy Idol's backing band was asked to join. The band was dubbed "Black Country" by Hughes, but were forced to change their name after another band with the same name threatened legal action.[3]
Bonham claims that the band were recording for the album as early as January 2010, stating "I just literally went into the studio last week for two days with one person I'd done an album with before, very quickly, and then the other was a friend of my father's I got to meet later on, Joe Bonamassa and Glenn Hughes, and we're working on a new project with a working title of Black Country."[4] Recording of the album was finished in early April, with the official track listing of the album being released on 10 June 2010[5] and the album's cover artwork being publicly released on 8 July 2010. The album contains a cover of "Medusa", which was originally recorded by Hughes' band Trapeze in 1970; Hughes also lent Bonamassa the guitar used by the recently deceased Mel Galley on the original track. On 10 August 2010, the band released the single "One Last Soul" for free digital download from their official website.[6]
Hughes has described the album as "a traditional classic rock record with a modern twist".
The band are planning to tour in 2011 in support of the album.[7]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [8] |
| BBC Music | (favourable)[9] |
| Classic Rock | |
| Jukebox:Metal | [10] |
| Mojo | [11] |
| Sunday Mercury | (favourable)[12] |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black Country" | Glenn Hughes | Hughes, Joe Bonamassa | 3:15 |
| 2. | "One Last Soul" | Hughes | Hughes, Bonamassa | 3:52 |
| 3. | "The Great Divide" | Hughes | Hughes, Bonamassa | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Down Again" | Hughes | Hughes, Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian | 5:46 |
| 5. | "Beggarman" | Hughes | Hughes | 4:52 |
| 6. | "Song of Yesterday" | Hughes, Bonamassa, Kevin Shirley | Bonamassa, Shirley | 8:33 |
| 7. | "No Time" | Hughes | Hughes | 4:19 |
| 8. | "Medusa" (originally performed by Trapeze) | Hughes | Hughes | 6:57 |
| 9. | "The Revolution in Me" | Bonamassa | Bonamassa, Sherinian | 4:59 |
| 10. | "Stand (At the Burning Tree)" | Hughes | Hughes, Bonamassa | 7:02 |
| 11. | "Sista Jane" | Hughes | Hughes, Bonamassa | 6:55 |
| 12. | "Too Late for the Sun" | Hughes | Hughes, Bonamassa, Jason Bonham, Sherinian, Shirley | 11:21 |
|
Total length:
|
72:35 | |||
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[14] | 54 |
| US Billboard Hard Rock Albums[15] | 19 |
| US Billboard Rock Albums[16] | 18 |
| Austrian Albums Chart[17] | 50 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[18] | 32 |
| French Albums Chart[19] | 62 |
| German Albums Chart[20] | 15 |
| Irish Albums Chart[21] | 81 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[22] | 19 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[23] | 54 |
| UK Albums Chart[24] | 13 |
| UK Rock Albums Chart[25] | 1 |
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