When your first two albums are such bonafide classics as to not only launch you to rock fame but also firmly establish your sound and style in everyone’s conscience, it can be difficult to find the space to grow amongst the weeds and weight of expectation, particularly when your third album saw some of the earnestness and depth not quite sacrificed at the altar of “the commercial gamble” (one that paid off, whether or not you choose to blame it on the Boom Boom), but tempered in exchange for slick, rock arena fillers.
Yet, a further decade and several albums on Black Stone Cherry have consistently delivered in a way not many bands are able to: maintaining status, quality, credibility and reputation, resisting the temptation to further slicken their sound, working to keep the balance of big, hooky, honest, bluesy, heavy Southern Rock tunes that are their meat and drink, whilst stretching the wings in one direction or another – be that being into more straight-up Rock, darker grungy turns, dipping into elements of Americana, or diggin’ the blues.
And whilst the adage “form is temporary, class is permanent” would, if applied to these Kentucky wildcats, suggest some kind of previous drop-off (to these ears, only 2014’s Magic Mountain falls somewhat short in a stellar catalogue), when applied to eighth full-length Screamin’ At The Sky (Mascot Records) it is an endorsement that their latest offering should be considered in the upper echelons of their releases, rubbing shoulders with their first two albums.
To the casual observer, it may seem there isn’t anything too different to the Cherry norm, but the hulking chunk of the post-grunge guitar tones give a contemporary metal-ish hue to the tunes, adding to the sonic power of an album self-recorded in an historic local theatre rather than a traditional recording studio, an approach that has clearly paid dividends.
This combination of sound and performance tells in the vibe and joy in the the hip-action of the funking “Show Me What It Feels Like”; “When The Pain Comes”, which is about as trademark a BSC track as you can get with it’s big metallic heavy blues hooks; or the bass-clanking (welcome to the team Steve Jewell Jr) “The Mess You Made” that erupts into an arms-wide-open chorus. Amongst this, BSC stipple proceedings with class – the subtle leads under the chorus of “Not Afraid” really enhance another great track, let alone the understated brilliance of our closing anthem “You Can Have It All”…
Mainstay and frontman Chris Robertson has long established his trademark gutsy, powerful and distinct vocals, and these once again bring to the fore the quality of tunes like “Out of Pocket”, acting like a conductor, managing the transition from Royal Blood-y bluster and stomp to more reflective sections and back again, or the shrugging verse of “Raindrops On A Rose” that smoothly builds into a sing-a-long refrain, but most impressively on emotive and reflective, though still electrically charged, “Here’s To The Hopeless”
Whether it’s grungy, metallic Southern riffs, earnest and open lyrics, the combination of familiarity and fettle, the different approach to recording, or just the sound of masters of their craft in the zone and coming out the other side of a tough personal period and enjoying the catharsis brought about by flexing the heavier edge of their sound, Screamin’ At The Sky delivers in spades. No fillers, no missed steps, just twelve great hot Southern-rocking tunes.
Buy the album here:
8 / 10
STEVE TOVEY