Customer Reviews

Black Stone Cherry

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Haven't heard anything new this great in a long time. Not since Black Label Society's Sonic Brew have we heard such a solid debut over the past decade. BSC is a group of young country boys from Kentucky with strong musical roots. This album rocks from start to finish and it's going to be great watching these guys grow musically over the next few years to their full potential. Highly recommend this one!

THE BAND: Chris Robertson (vocals, guitars), Ben Wells (guitars), Jon Lawhon (bass), John Fred Young (drums & percussion). Home state - Kentucky.

THE DISC: (2006) 13 tracks clocking in at approximately 46 minutes. Included with the disc is a 4-page foldout including band pictures, song credits, and thank you's. Recorded at Barrick Studios, Glasgow, Kentucky. There is also a bonus 2nd disc (DVD) with a 9+ minute intro with the band... including some local concert footage, walking through their old high school and talking with the principal, their homes and practice area. Label - Roadrunner Records.

COMMENTS: It's rare when a young rock band grabs me today. Too many hip-hop and wanna-be rappers. Please God bring me back to 70's rock & roll. I heard sound clips and quickly took the plunge and bought Black Stone Cherry's debut. BSC is plain and simply HARD ROCK... the old school way. No screeching or yelling from singer Chris Robertson - vocals are just right and appropriate for the style. Drummer John Young's father played with the Kentucky Headhunters. The band members say they grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Beatles (and of course the Kentucky Headhunters). What do they sound like - if forced to compare them to another band, I'd say I hear elements of Blackfoot, STP's, Motley Crue, Atomic Opera, Buckcherry, Saliva (touring with in 2006), Soundgarden and/or Jackyl. "Rain Wizard" is the album opener and rocks from the start. You'll see on the DVD that the rain wizards are locals living in caves and the town prays to them for ample rain and a good harvest. The first 5 songs are the catchiest - melodies and lyrically. "When The Weight Comes Down" reflects on world events and the likes of Sept 11th. "Lonely Train" is the first hit from BSC. As much as the driving guitars on the entire album grabbed me, Young's drumming hooked me in. He's a madman on the drum kit... leaving no skin or cymbal safe... reminiscent of a young Tommy Lee or Keith Moon. BSC presents ROCK the way it should be. Great debut and I predict big things for Black Stone Cherry (4.5 stars).

I don`t write many reviews online but i had to write this one.These guys are the best new band i`ve heard since guns n roses.They would have been very comfortable in the late 70`s or early 80`s with the metal scene.This cd has it all with great vocals and fantastic guitar,with great solo`s,a rareity now adays.If the song rollin on dosen`t make the hair stand up on the back of your neck your not into rock.Buy this album if you like great hard rockin music,these guys are talented.

I'd give it a 6 if I could. Been waiting for this CD for a long time and I am far from disappointed. This is one group that knows, respects and acknowledges their influences, from Skynyrd to AC/DC and Zeppelin, but doesn't attempt to copy them. Instead they pick up where these groups left off and carry on the tradition of great sounding rock and roll with an edge! The musicianship, vocals, production values and sound on this album are tremendous, and they should be given this group's relationship with the Grammy award winning Kentucky Headhunters. No doubt having that kind of experience and professionalism on the boards really helped make their debut CD the fantastic, solid, straight ahead rock and roll masterpiece it is. Now they have to be able to approximate or beat that sound live....and I have little doubt they can do just that. Black Stone Cherry joins such groups as Brand New Sin and the Rebel Pride band in helping to establish a new Golden Age of Rock and Roll!
Now if only they'd get their butts up here to Columbus Ohio.

Wow! That is one word that describes this Cd. Amazing, is another. This was easily my favorite release of 2006. I have a 6 disc changer in my car and somehow it kept getting back to disc one before making it through the other five. Disc one was Black Stone Cherry. Great band with a great sound. They are bringing back the days of Lynark Skynard, Molly Hatchet, etc., but keeping the modern edge of a Black Label Society. Great disc. If you just like plain old fashioned rock and roll, hard rock, or other form of it. Get it. If you don't like rock, after just one listen you will love this one.

Yep, Black Stone Cherry just kinda snuck out of Kentucky, from between the piles of mediocre-to-bad music being forced at us these days. Well, they've wrapped their big sounds around my head and have me believin' that there is still a chance for a new classic rock-type sound revival.

I'll be honest, I didn't buy this CD here on Amazon. I was browsing my local "Huge Yellow Price-Tag" store and seen the CD sitting in the rack with a $7.99 price tag. I used to make impulse-music buys, but I stopped doing that years ago. The cover design, the way these guys look and the track names made me do my first impulse-buy in many moons, and I struck oil with this CD.

From the first track, all the way through I was blown away by just how tight this band is. The lead singer sounds like someone who's 10 years older than he is, and for that matter, so does the rest of the band. Their debut CD reminds me so much of the quality and professional sound that Lynyrd Skynyrd unleashed on their first effort.

The sound is definitly old school, but they also mix in a healthy dose of new-metal style riffs....complete with some blazing solos. Yep, I said "Solos".

If you're a fan of classic rock, or southern rock, do yourself a favor and buy this CD as soon as you can. There are no sample tracks to listen to here on Amazon, so if you doubt myself and the rest of the reviewers here who love this CD, find a site that has some of thier tracks. I'm sure they have their own web site.

If I were to pick my favorite track from this album (and it's hard to do) it would probably be the opening track "Rain Wizard". But believe me, each following cut is a piece of a rock-classic-junkie heaven.

Terrific debut that kicks from beginning to end.
There's something both new and familiar about their sound; influences definitely worn on their sleeves but a great modern edge too.
These guys have written a very mature sounding album, full of great hooks, melodies and a monster wall of guitars.
Early highlights for me include 'Maybe Someday' and 'Lonely Train' but you could pick this album up at any point and find a killer track.
Production-wise, it's nice and straightforward; you get drums, bass, guitars and vocals - and lots of 'em. Great mix, very direct and sounds like something that could be really great live.
I hope there's lots more like this in them.
Highly recommended.

I heard the 'Lonely Train' song on the radio so I decided to pick this up and man, I havent taken it out of my CD player since! Great riffs, lyrics, the whole package. Sounds rather raw, but thats how rock and roll is supposed to sound. Reminds me of a Southern-Fried Black Sabbath, or a heavier Pride and Glory. If your looking for a fresh sounding, southern flavored metal CD and your as tired as I am by all these 'musicians' that can't play a note to save their life, then grab this CD and CRANK! Fans of Black Label Society, Corriosion of Conformity and any amped up southern rock will love this.

These boys are amazing! Their debut CD is GREAT, but you don't get the full effect until you see them live. Some of the best songs on the album are Lonely Train, Rollin' On and Hell and High Water. I also recommend going to their MySpace and listening to Big City Lights. It's not on the album, but it's a great song. Also, if you can catch them live, GO! (They're currently touring with Hinder!)They're the nicest guys out there and they put on a great show. They meet with their fans after the show and they're so nice...it's like you've known them forever.

And I have to say...if you think they're a "boy band the label turned into rockers", you're sadly mistaken. These guys are from my area and they are far from boy banders.

I first saw them in concert in Louisville, Ky. This band is the real deal and they signed autographs for 2 1/2 hours until the last person was taken care of. They stated that we take care of our fans because we couldn't do this without them. The music is awesome!!! This is a CD that you can rock to every song without skipping one to move to another. I have been a fan of rock music since the early 70's from Ted Nugent to Zeppelin, AC/DC, Boston etc. and this band is right up there with them. This is a must have CD!!