Kentucky's very own hard rock darlings Black Stone Cherry are back with their seventh studio release, The Human Condition, which follows up Family Tree from 2018. Much more metallic in spots than previous releases, the band still drops in some of the Southern Rock elements here on The Human Condition, though they seem more content settling on a sort of anthemic hard rock sound not far removed from say Alter Bridge, as the album is loaded with huge guitar riffs and one memorable chorus after another. Not that Black Stone Cherry haven't always been able to write a catchy hook, but they've upped the ante here, with songs such as "Ringin' In My Head", "Again", "Push Down & Turn", "Live This Way", "The Devil In Your Eyes", and the beefy "The Chain" pushing into the red on the heavy rock zone, while more pop flavored numbers like "When Angels Learning to Fly", "If My Heart Had Wings", and "In Love With the Pain" seem to be pointing at modern crossover country charts with plenty of soaring vocal harmonies and breezy hooks. Though their cover or ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down" is fun, I would have rather heard another original song from the band, and they save one of the catchiest tracks for last, the completely memorable, feel good rocker "Keep On Keepin' On", which is a great pick for anthem of 2020.
Fun, memorable songs, plenty of guitar firepower, and excellent vocals...The Human Condition is solid modern hard rock record from one of the USA's brightest young acts.
Track Listing
- Ringin’ In My Head
- Again
- Push Down & Turn
- When Angels Learn To Fly
- Live This Way
- In Love With The Pain
- The Chain
- Ride
- If My Heart Had Wings
- Don’t Bring Me Down
- Some Stories
- Devil In Your Eyes
- Keep On Keepin’ On
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