Glenn Hughes
Resonate

Glenn Hughes, an excellent artist with an illustrious past, made his debut with the legendary Trapeze (for those who unfortunately might not know them, I would recommend at least getting "Medusa", the classic album to take to a desert island).

Subsequently, his involvement with Deep Purple introduced him to an even wider audience. It would be his addition that gave an unprecedented funk twist to the sound of the famous band, one of the (many) reasons that caused severe headaches for Blackmore, leading him to leave the group of which he was one of the founders.

Among his many collaborations, he has also had a brief stint in one of the most impromptu lineups of Black Sabbath, participating in the release of "Seventh Star", which was initially supposed to be released as a solo album by Iommi.

Undermined physically by years of abuse, Glenn Hughes was destined for years of oblivion and suffering, but fortunately, he found the strength to be reborn to a new life both humanly and artistically; unexpectedly, his artistic depth greatly increased, both in composition and in using his extraordinary voice, not surprisingly he would soon be dubbed "The Voice of Rock".

From his total rehabilitation, the tireless artist, in the '90s, resumed his activities at full speed both as a soloist and collaborating with illustrious colleagues, of which I would at least mention Tony Iommi, Joe Bonamassa, and Jason Bonham (Black Country Communion), Joe Lynn Turner. Not least, the many years of artistic partnership with his now inseparable friend Chad Smith, who lately almost always sets the pace in the albums of his solo discography.

Glenn Hughes devoted himself to many projects parallel to his solo discography, (I consider the most interesting to be that of Black Country Communion) which is why it has been eight years since the release of an album entirely in his name, the last being the excellent "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen".

"Resonate" worthily covers the long wait since its predecessor.

The album opens with "Heavy", the single that anticipated its release, a track that sounds even more powerful than the sounds the artist has always been accustomed to, as well as the subsequent excellent and catchy "My Town".

Some influences echo among the grooves of the record, the most evident in my opinion vaguely recall the sounds of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. "Flow" has a slow and powerful stride that is very reminiscent of Sabbath, the massive and powerful use of the Hammond on "Heavy", "Steady", "How Long" brings more to mind the sound of Purple, but obviously, the artist certainly does not need to revert to past sounds given his excellent compositional vein, it is simply a few nods due to his musical background.

The captivating "God of Money" is one of the most successful pieces of the work, one of those tracks that sticks in your head; here the artist literally goes wild with his bass handling it masterfully.

The beautiful ballad "When I Fall" allows the artist to flaunt the most soul aspect of his extraordinary vocal ability, while in the subsequent "Landmines" and "Stumble & Go", his funk vein fully emerges, so far in the background on this record.

The work closes with another excellent track, "Long Time Gone" which starts delicately and acoustically before gaining vigor and rhythm.

The bonus track of the deluxe edition is a real gem, "Nothing's the Same" even more than the already mentioned "When I Fall" stands as one of Glenn Hughes' most engaging ballads ever, here the artist's voice sounds like that of an angel (I've never heard the voice of an angel, obviously, but I'd swear it sounds just like that).