Stephen I'm amazed with a bunch of extremely high ratings for this one because my ears didn't tell me the same. I came as a casual classic rock fan but aside from the fact that this is indeed a Zeppelin/Purple injected rock with a band of seasoned veterans, Hughes and Bonham to name a few, the songs just don't work fine for me.

I hardly find any memorable tracks at all, in fact, good track is a scarcity here. I like 'I Can See Your Spirit', the riffs are nice, the chorus is good, but even this song that I considered the best here is probably an average one. 'The Outsider' has a good guitar/keyboard duel just like in the old Purple days, 'The Battle For Hadrian's Wall' reminds me to Zeppelin a lot, while 'Save Me' is slow and doomy, with a little Middle-eastern flair, but sadly those three still can't please my appetite.

Sadly, 'Man In The Middle', 'Smokestack Woman', 'Crossfire', and 'Cold' are terribly disposable fillers for me. 'Faithless' might be a good indication to be a radio track but still not sure whether it can prevail in the first week. This is one of the few albums that was praised highly all over the world but didn't work out for me.

poslednijat_colobar An ultimate hard/blues rock classic

The second Black Country Communion album, called just 2 is precise hard/blues rock masterpiece with immediate effect among the listeners. All the things I've been talking about the debut album are valid here in 2 again, but there are another unique steps forward to this album's greatness.

The first aspect is the cohesion of the band members. All these great musicians are working in perfect harmony on 2 and it's obviously seen. 2 is magical album with lots of energy and intensity. The melancholy is main feeling in some ballads and plays an opposite role to solid hard rock performances.

The construction of 2, musicianship, songwriting, producton and routine are all of highest standard and revealed the exactitude of this cult album.

Kingcrimsonprog Black Country Communion's second studio album, simply entitled `2,' is a very strong album from a band that are getting better and more confident, gelling together as a group well and hammering home their sound.

At first I was skeptical of how good the album could be, as when big names collaborate the results aren't always as good as the sum of their parts and often when any band constantly get described as sounding like bands they have some vague connection with, they usually fail to measure up.

The album features all the blazing keyboard solos and big, roomy drum sounds you'd expect from a band who gladly state their fondness for Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin in their linear notes. The overall style that the band were aiming for has been achieved perfectly, but that isn't enough if the songwriting isn't up to standard.

Thankfully, Black Country Communion have delivered in this department with `2.' The album starts very strong, and opens up with the hard rocking `The Outsider,' and follows up with the heavy yet groove laden single `Man In The Middle,' which serves as just about as strong a one-two opening punch as any fan could hope for.

The album thankfully concentrates on straight up rock, but also mixes a few variations into the formula, a little folky section on one track, a blues track and a few more dynamic tracks with eastern influences keep things interesting.

All the musicians are on top form, Glen Hughes sings with gusto and plays just as well, Jason Bonham nails the drumming in both power and feel and Joe Bonamassa's excellent playing fits into the band more naturally than on the band's debut. A special mention is deserved for Derek Sherinian, who absolutely shines on this record.

With this second album, Black Country Communion fulfill their potential and deliver a very enjoyable slab of driving classic rock music, proving to be more than just a cash in on nostalgia, but a strong musical force to be genuinely appreciated.