Black Stone Cherry
Kentucky

"Kentucky" is the fifth album by the all-American Black Stone Cherry, released on April 1st under the Mascot record label. And once again in this review, the preface is a must. After the first two albums (and if I'm allowed to say, what great two albums), in 2011 with the release of “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea,” the band changed their image and sound, abandoning the long hair, the Les Pauls, and the Southern Rock style to embrace the Paul Reed Smith (and I'd already said it all), giving the new album, and also the subsequent “Magic Mountain,” a much more aggressive, much more Hard Rock sound. Let's face it, it’s not like they were making quiet Southern Rock before, but something in the band had changed. Two albums that honestly didn't quite convince me but not enough to toss them in the trash, absolutely new. With the new album with a title that was a whole program (if "Kentucky" isn't a Southern Rock album title, then shoot me), my curiosity was rekindled. I waited a bit before writing this review for two reasons: first because the album took a long time to arrive and second because I wanted to listen to it well to give a view that goes beyond the first two or three listens.

Have they "returned" to making Southern Rock? I’d say no, but they have made quite a step forward compared to the last two albums. This is an album made of distortion-filled riffs, catchy choruses, great solos, and a voice which, gentlemen, is a great voice. Really, Chris Robertson knows how to handle it very well.

The album opens with “The Way Of The Future,” a distinctly Black Stone Cherry piece that okay "disappointed my expectations" in their return (or definitive landing) to Southern Rock, but it’s still a great piece. It continues with “In Our Dreams,” where I got scared. It was the first single from the album, and I would say they quite missed the mark in their choice. “In Our Dreams” is, in my opinion, the worst track on the album, mainly due to the chorus, which is decidedly too long and with a “Please Help Me” in the middle that turns out to be quite annoying. The scare quickly passes, however, with a “Shackin' My Cage” with a great chorus that very much resembles their second album. “Soul Machine” is the track that took me back two albums. These are the Black Stone Cherry I love! Great power, great riffs, and a touch of Southern Rock that gives great originality to the group. The pair is completed with “Long Ride,” the best track on the album. It’s known that BSC is great at making ballads, but here I feel that they have completed the work. A song that is very suitable for radio but in its entirety is truly a great piece. “War” is a novelty for the group with the help of brass and choruses typical of Southern America (also present in “Soul Machine”), and I feel that as an experiment, they have definitely hit the mark. From here downward, it goes downhill, with powerful tracks that flow smoothly and, above all, do not tire. A special mention I feel dedicated to “Cheaper To Drink Alone,” a track that lends itself perfectly to live performances, “Rescue Me” without that gospel intro, however, for God's sake, and “Feelin’ Fuzzy” with a great chorus that easily gets stuck in your head. It closes with “The Rambler,” a ballad with voice and acoustic guitar that highlights Chris’s great voice.

A good album without a shadow of a doubt, but, always in my opinion, it is not at the levels of their first two albums. The only flaw I see is that the last three albums are too similar (even if this one beats the other two by a lot as well), and so the band is unable, or perhaps unwilling, to experiment much with new routes. Yes, because I am one who appreciates bands that experiment with new types of sounds, as long as they do it well :P