Black Stone Cherry are back with another round of blues as the Kentucky rockers dive back into their roots. Vol 1 showed off their first take on some classics from the likes of Albert King and Willie Dixon, this time the band dig a little deeper into the blues catalogue and pull out some old favourites.
Freddie King's Big Legged Woman is so notorious it was referenced in a Led Zep song, so it's perhaps an obvious choice to begin part 2. The original has the right levels of funk and sass that it was ripe for a BSC makeover. Robert Johnson's Me And The Devil Blues, is a welcome nod to the genre’s origins, along with being unrecognizable from the raw original. The new arrangement plays straight for the blues rock camp, while honouring Johnson's legacy. It's a track that suits the BSC sound and like much of the EP benefits from the addition of Yates McKendree on keys. Elmore James' Early One Morning follows the slide riff of the original, but spins the track into a punchy southern-rock shakedown. The album closes with their take on Death Letter Blues by Son House, which fans will already be familiar with from their live set.
One of the benefits of putting together a covers album, is that it gives modern audiences and fans a chance to pick up on where it all started. Vol 2 stays clear of trampling on the originals, but helps to pass the baton and keep blues music at the beating heart of rock.
Groupie rating 4/5
