Supergroups usually have difficulty balancing the egos of all the members and such was the case with
Black Country Communion
, the quartet featuring
Deep Purple
's
Glenn Hughes
, blues hotshot
Joe Bonamassa
, drummer
Jason Bonham
, and keyboardist
Derek Sherinian
. The band fell apart in 2012 after the release of
Afterglow
, a year that also saw
Bonamassa
's solo star start to rise. It seemed like the band was history, but
reached back out to
Hughes
in 2016, and the quartet cut the album that became 2017's
BCCIV
. The years apart did not change the group's approach to classic rock -- it's a heady, melodramatic fusion of
's artier inclinations and
Led Zeppelin
's light and shade, underpinned by guitar pyrotechnics -- but they did help focus the band, producing a sharper full-length album than
.
still wear their influences proudly -- "Love Remains" crunches like a
Physical Graffiti
outtake -- but they'll also nod toward modern music; the pummeling riff of "Sway" feels like a salute to the departed
Chris Cornell
. As always, the pleasure of
is hearing seasoned players play; they have palpable chemistry and this is a format for them to flaunt their chops. That
has a greater range and sturdier songs than its immediate predecessor is merely a bonus, because they're instrumentally in fine fettle here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine