Ah man – Black Stone Cherry – one of those bands who always satisfy with their good-time, hard rock vibes. However, whilst the band cook musically, there’s no denying the emotional resonance that simmers like an undercurrent, and ultimately that’s the dichotomy that lies at the heart of all true blues music – the music may make you feel good, but it’s often drawn from a place of emotional torment – which helps to explain why Black Stone Cherry are so feted. There’s an emotional honesty to the band that remains, no matter how glossy the production (‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’) or superficially superficial the songs may be (‘white trash millionaire’). Moreover, because BSC started out at such a young age, we’ve seen them mature brilliantly over the course of their albums and the last couple in particular (2014’s ‘magic mountain’ and 2016’s ‘Kentucky’) have seen the band really build upon the potential their early work so clearly indicated. They are a rare, and most welcome, success story and ‘Family true’ looks set to maintain that superlative run.
Right from the start, those BSC vibes are in full flow. ‘Bad Habit’ is a damn good tune, crackling with energy and nods to the vast legacy of blues music in which BSC are so steeped. As electric as the riffs are, it is Chris Robertson’s vocals that really draw the attention on the first listen. Gruff, yet tuneful, he’s gained considerable gravitas since the early days of the band and it fits the raw energy of the track perfectly. With an apt title, ‘Burnin’’ is a track that rages and blazes with youthful fire, whilst its addictive chorus will have you singing along by the second play through. With great guitar work and John Fred Young’s taut, AC/DC-styled beats propelling the track along at a fine pace, ‘burnin’’ is exactly the sort of high-octane southern rock that we’ve come to expect form BSC and here, as always, they make it look effortless. Next up the bluesy ‘new kinda feelin’’, which benefits from the addition of some suitably ramshackle piano, sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis going head to head with ZZ Top. It’s a seriously danceable tune, and yet more evidence (as if any were needed) that Black Stone Cherry are only getting better with age. The pace finally slows a touch on ‘carry me on down the road’. Slower, doesn’t necessarily mean lighter, of course, and the frazzled riff and soulful verse recalls the Black Crowes at their finest. The intro of the wonderful ‘my last breath’, sees Chris sitting alone at the organ to deliver a soul track that has much in common with Janis Joplin in its stripped-down sincerity. When the band do come back in, it’s with appropriate subtlety, allowing the song to build organically as some great riffs, and even brass, are brought into the mix. The sort of song that will provide a wonderful mid-set pause, ‘my last breath’ is a heartfelt, brilliantly realised song that really demonstrates the depth of frontman Chris Robertson’s production work. BSC aren’t going to let you rest for long, however, and ‘southern fried Friday night’ is a hard-hitting blues track centred on the time-honoured themes of past sins versus present redemption. It brings the first half to a satisfyingly hefty conclusion with the chorus treading the same addictive line as the band’s own ‘white trash millionaire’.
A real treat for fans of jammed-out blues, ‘Dancin’ in the rain’ features a guest appearance from Gov’t Mule leader Warren Haynes. His appearance underscores the more organic feel of the album as a whole and, in many ways, BSC have greatly benefitted from not over-thinking the structure of this record, the looser vibe really giving bite to the rocker moments on display. If you wanted just one track to really typify the brilliance of ‘family tree’ then this glorious, life-affirming collaboration would be it and, even after repeated plays, it’s a tough track to get enough of. Of course, if you do decide to keep ‘dancin’ in the rain’ on repeat, then you’d be missing out on the slide-guitar soaked brilliance of ‘Ain’t nobody’, a track that cooks with the primal spirit of vintage Stones. Dripping in soul, as you might expect from a track entitled ‘James Brown’, it is, nonetheless, a brave (or very confident) band who references so reverential a figure. That confidence is perfectly placed, however, and ‘James Brown’ is yet another track that makes you want to leap to your feet in celebration at the sheer ebullience of it all. It is on albums such as this that you cut straight to the heart of the vital power that music can exert, and the energy that BSC put into each piece is sure-as-hell infectious. The swaggering might of ‘You got the blues’ (complete with a guest appearance from Chris’ five-year-old son) is a case in point – the band dish it out with such glorious abandon that you’d have to be made of stone not to feel your limbs start to move in time to the beat. “I promise you’ve never felt anything like this before” Chris sings, and there’s a simple truth to his statement – this is music to be felt (like all the best rock ‘n’ roll) and it succeeds magnificently. Once again dipping their toes in time-worn themes, ‘I need a woman’ sees bassist Jon Lawhon getting funky whilst the hot-wired riff of ‘Get me over you’ is pure blues delivered with a rock ‘n’ roll punch. The album draws to an end (and man, does the record fly by) with the mid-paced ‘Family tree’, a heavy blues with a Zeppelin swagger that sees the out on an irrepressible high, marking the end of Black Stone Cherry’s finest work to date.
Black Stone Cherry have really grown over the course of their career. That is not to say that their early efforts were in any way poor, but the work on ‘Family tree’ is exceptional by any standards. References to James Brown, the Black Crowes, the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers and ZZ top abound, but there’s never a feeling that BSC are every trying to be anything more than themselves. Sure, they’ve absorbed their influences, but they way that each song is delivered with such immense joy is what takes this album over the top and makes you want to cry out at the sheer wonder of it all. It’s a bright, bold fun album and yet it deals with real themes and real emotions and it is that that makes this such a raging success. It was an absolute joy to review and will easily stand up to the very best albums released this year. 9
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