Review Summary: Black Stone Cherry hack their way through the crowded jungle of wannabe Rock 'n' Roll bands, and sit pretty at the top...
One of the main selling points for Black Stone Cherry in their previous two albums is that they are able to carry through a classic, American rock 'n' roll vibe through each song, while keeping it modern and unique to their own standards, and BTDADBS is no exception. While there's no real advance through sound, their song-writing has become much more of a personal, sometimes egotistical, and sometimes a much more nostalgia-bitten concept for the band. Songs like Won't Let Go, Stay and certainly Like I Roll are very much ridden with pride, written with memories and emotion in hand. However, songs such as Shake and Blame It on the Boom Boom have almost shocked long term fans, not for the worst however, for a sudden turn in songwriting that you just wouldn't expect from Black Stone Cherry, but suprisingly, these fun, sexualising songs are done brilliantly, crafted with expertly timed vocals and brilliant guitarwork and drumming.
One of the biggest songs on the album, however, is Such a Shame. A phenomenally huge anthem, reminiscent of a
Shinedown song or even, dare I mention, a
Nickelback track that never made it to radio, about the [conceptual] death of someones little girl, written with such a neutral viewpoint that the listener is compelled to actually imagine the scene, helped along by descriptive lyrics-
"They found her body, face down, dead in the rain, such a shame"
This album, then, is certainly different from their self-titled, and Folklore & Superstition, but it's also certainly Black Stone Cherry. In terms of song-writing, this is a step up, and in terms of the sound of the band, it's also a step up, but they need to carry this through to their next efforts in order to become one to remember.
