ALBUM: Black Stone Cherry - Folklore And Superstition (2008)

It's finally here, I'm reviewing it al last. Black Stone Cherry got their name as a southern rock band hailing from Kentucky, USA. Their first self-titled album got a lot of attention, and as a result Folklore and Superstition has been surprisingly high in the charts on sites such as play.com lately. The debut contained pure rock and riff-filled tunes, and the band have cemented their reputation and gained many avid fans including myself on their recent tours - I saw them supporting Def Leppard and Whitesnake earlier in the year, where they played the first song from this album, "Blind Man" as a taster. This is very reminiscent of the first album - quite heavy and obviously southern-inspired lyrically.

Now I can listen to the album in its entirety. The second song, Please Come In, has a riff that made be believe for a moment that I was listening to Led Zeppelin. There are actually some slow parts to this song, which partly prepares you for the rest of the album. The next two songs,Reverend Wrinkle and Soulcreek, are sure to be live favourites on their upcoming UK tour (with The Answer supporting). Behold! For the next song on Folklore... is surely BSC's first ballad.Things My Father Said is a moving slow song that will probably split opinions of lovers of the first album. It's a really good change from the rock and roll, I think. But fear not. The very next song, The Bitter End, is as good as the legendary Lonely Train, the key track from Black Stone Cherry. A catchy chorus is trailed by a short guitar solo - clearly single material? The dark Long Sleeves is followed by ballad number two, Peace Is Free - "can't you see?". Devil's Queen andThe Key are typical BSC stuff, and You is yet another ballad. Sunrise is my most played however - probably the best song on the album for demonstrating the brilliance of Chris Robertson's voice, and even has a touch of the caribbean! The Ghost of Floyd Collins is a spooky southern ghost story with atmosphere, and a great roundoff to the album.

Folklore and Superstition is different from the first album in many ways, but it retains the music that makes Black Stone Cherry such a good band, and the leaders of modern southern rock, taking after bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band have obviously had time to be inspired and produce some great lyrics and some intense guitar and drum work in between their constant touring. This year they have supported the likes of Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and Shinedown across the globe. Black Stone Cherry are going up in the world, and this album demonstrates that they ain't no plain old rock n' roll band - they have depth to their material. Between the four of them they are one of the most dedicated and grateful bands out there right now. There really is something for every rock fan on this album - and it is far from generic. Traditional southern rock songs, ballads with a twist, and some very heavy material. Variation is the word - but I'm sure this one is going to become a classic, and a great of 2008. Well done guys, we salute you.

ALBUM: Shinedown - The Sound of Madness (2008)

Aha, my latest and greatest import buy, its Shinedown's third album The Sound of Madness. They are pretty unknown here in the UK, which is why I had to import it, but this way I got the special fanclub limited edition, including three extra tracks, fanclub membership for a year, and numerous other stuff. Who says buying CD's isn't still good? For those who don't know them Shinedown are an American band from Jacksonville, Florida, and one of my favourite bands. Their first two albums are nothing short of brilliant hard rock stuff - Leave A Whisper (2003) and Us And Them (2005). The new album is a departure from the usual, to say the least. The band have went through a bit of an overhaul, with two of the original four (Jasin Todd and Brad Stewart) leaving for various reasons. The current band consists of original members Brent Smith (vox), Barry Kerch (drums), and new additions Nick Perri (lead guitar), Zach Myers (rhythm guitar) and Eric Bass (bass). Perhaps due to this, the new album is heavier, more intricate, and in my opinion a lot greater than the first two albums. None of the Shinedown feel is lost, which is a great bonus too.

Well, this album was waiting for me when I got back after a holiday. I was a little disappointed it hadn't arrived before, but this was due to release dates/import delays etc. First impressions? Awesome album artwork. The normal edition is white with black birds on the front, and the limited edition is as above. I stick the album into my CD player, and Devour kicks off with a bang. Devour is in fact not only the first track but also the first single from the album. It's quite heavy and political lyrically, and a great way to open the album, as it sets the tone for the rest of the CD. It sticks by the good old album rules: open with a fantastic track, and then push the dial up to eleven in the second track, Sound of Madness. In many ways I enjoy this more than Devour. It's catchy, heavy, and has some great guitar pieces in the latter half. As with much of Shinedown of course, the thing you appreciate most is Brent Smith's voice. These lyrics are also quite political, a little similar to the track that didn't make this album: Junkies For Fame. Third track Second Chance is about leaving home and striking out on your own - there is obviously a lot of inspiration from Brent himself here, and its one of my favourite songs on the album. Fast-paced Cry For Help gives way to The Crow & The Butterfly followed by If You Only Knew. I prefer the former out of the two...ballads (?), but they are both beautiful songs, the stuff Shinedown are loved for, and the very thing that makes them stand out from a lot of other rock bands. Sin With A Grin and What A Shame are good songs with meaningful lyrics, but Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide is a really frickin' brilliant heavy rock song that calls out to be played at full volume. The final two songs Breaking Inside and Call Me wrap up the normal edition. Breaking Inside has a catchy chorus and guitar stretch near the end, which makes it a contender for a single. Call Me is a song that could easily be found on any of the other Shinedown albums, a superb conclusion.

Now to the bonus tracks. For me, these three make the album a five-star rather than a four-star. You'll find no slow songs in this special section, because I Own You, The Energy, and Son of Sam are three angry rock n' roll tunes, truly gems in Shinedown's whole damn discography. I Own You is now one of my favourite Shinedown songs. Never before has an album been able to fire me up so much, and I have no doubts in recognising this as my favourite Shinedown album yet. I'm glad they were able to overcome problems in the band, problems which show in the lyrics and the way they play. Hell, they've come through this better than ever. Long may it continue. Now if they would just do a UK tour...

GIG: Def Leppard/Whitesnake/Black Stone Cherry

It has been some time since my last entry! Forget reviewing albums for the meanwhile...it's live time. This was the first time I'd been to a proper gig at the Metro Radio Arena. Last night was amazing, as you'd expect from three of my favourite rock n'roll bands. I had been looking forward to this for many months, and was a little apprehensive beforehand as I didn't want to miss Black Stone Cherry open. As it happens I was standing at the door to the inner arena when I heard the familiar sound of Rain Wizard kick in, so I wasted no time in getting in there. I was immediately impressed, and while the crowd wasn't huge, they were fantastic and I was just craving to be nearer to the front. The acoustics were pretty crap for these guys unfortunately, but the guitarist was all over the stage, Chris Robertson's voice was unmistakeably good and the drummer (John Fred Young) was something else. He was a beast, it must be said. I've never seen a drummer so hyper! All drummers should be like this... The bassist (Jon Lawhon) has a great Kentucky drawl which made me chuckle a bit when he was chatting to us crowdgoers, and the dudes seemed really down to Earth and genuinely pleased to be on the tour, getting such a glowing reception. You don't get that often. With only a thirty minute spot, they had to impress and did so in style, finishing with Voodoo Child (Slight Return), complete with guitar-behind-neck-playing, and teeth-playing also. Just bloody awesome, what a warm up for the night! Wish they had played Crosstown Woman, though...that's a personal favourite.

BSC exited stage to great cheers, and pronounced that they would head towards the merchandise stand. Well, it was time for a beer and a t-shirt. There was no Lepp tees left, so I had to settle for a sweet BSC tee. I was determined to get in a good standing position to see Whitesnake kick off their shenanigans, so didn't hesistate long and therefore didn't get to meet the BSC guys. Another day!

A short wait, and the lights went down and on came David Coverdale. Talk about stage presence! Full hair and howl, Whitesnake opened with Best Years off their brilliant new Good To Be Badalbum. Coverdale was immense, talking the audience up and getting roses from the front. "Make some f***ing noise Newcasttteeeleee!" Hell yeah! I was surprised that they played a lot from the new album, but there was enough classics to please all. Love Ain't No Stranger was special. Coverdale and Aldrich did some acoustic stuff, with Aldrich sat on a special "Whitesnake" stool ("Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Whitesnake...have furniture!") doing Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City and the smooth The Deeper the Love. The best crowd reactions were saved for Is This Love, Here I Go Again..., and the absolutely stunningly frawkin' good Still of the Night. Not forgetting Fool For Your Loving, of course. Credit to the man, he gave equal part to each of his excellent musicians. Doug Aldrich and RebBeach are awesome. Who says they can't still do it? They did, and we all wanted more! The man was loving the crowd. Cov said, "It's good to be home" - I guess this is the closest the guy gets toYorkshire on tour these days. Ey up!

I made a wise move not to leave after Whitesnake left. This let me to move to the front a little more while others dashed to the bar...and I waited for Def Leppard to appear. After quite a while of Stones and AC/DC tunes over the speakers, the lights went down once more and the humongous screen lit up across the arena. This was a montage of Leppard since the beginning to some guitar build-up. "That...Was...Then..." it proclaimed, "This...Is...Now!", and to great roars, on came Def Leppard playing Rocket.

The place came alive once more. The vibration of the speakers was intense. Leppard proved immediately that they were no ordinary "old rock band". Joe Elliot still has a tremendous voice, and with guitarists Vivian Campbell (thought he was particularly skilful!), Phil Collen, and Rick Savage behind him, the place shook with the rocking souls of what seemed to be a few thousand people. One-armed Rick Allen is one heck of a drummer too. Leppard had more old hits to

perform this night, and the only ones off Songs From the Sparkle Lounge were C'mon C'mon, Nine Lives, and Bad Actress (in the encore). These tracks are sure to become classics in turn. Personal favourites were Animal, Hysteria (one of the best ever), Rock of Ages (superb),Photograph, and of course the legendary Pour Some Sugar On Me. They even did some great acoustic stuff when they came right to the front of the catwalk-type-strangely-setup stage. The lights went off, and a spotlight was shone on Rick Savage's Union-Jack-flag-bass. I didn't know it at the time, but this was a version of David Essex's Rock On, from the Yeah! covers album. It rocked, anyway. The encore was the best, however. They came back on to perform Bad Actress, and then Elliot said: "Do You Wanna Get Rocked?", and we all sang Let's Get Rocked. "We'll see ya next time - and there WILL BE A NEXT TIME!" Elliot shouted over the screams of the audience. There better bloody well be. Pure Rock N'Roll, nothing like it!!!!!