EP REVIEW: Celebrate – Black Stone Cherry
After a successful 15 years in the industry, BLACK STONE CHERRY have become recognised for being one of the most influential hard rock bands of the 21st century. In this time, they have toured with fellow rock and metal icons including the likes of DEF LEPPARD, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and ALICE COOPER, just to name a few.
Almost 20 years following their iconic self-titled debut, the Kentucky foursome have opted to turn things up a notch and be more experimental with their third EP Celebrate. Produced by the band at High Street Studios in Bowling Green, Kentucky, this is a true commemoration of their incredible musical achievements so far, all tied up in seven heartfelt and emotional tracks. The first is title single Celebrate, which is a punchy and lively yet raw introduction. Lyrically discussing mental health struggles and conquering small yet significant milestones, it is a song which is sure to be deeply relatable to many BLACK STONE CHERRY fans old and new.
Neon Eyes is up next, which has the most infectious chorus heard in a while – prepare for it to get stuck in your head for quite some time. I’m Fine manages to up the ante with a fantastic NIRVANA inspired grunge melody which certainly works in their favour. It is great to hear BLACK STONE CHERRY stand on their own and be confident to try something a little different – it is ultimately the best song on the release to date.
Deep is a close contender though, with its lyrical content really striking a chord with your emotions. It is an impactful track which can be applied to any situation. This track is the most personal for the band, though. Guitarist Ben Wells‘ wife has had a deeply personal long-term struggle with fertility and bassist Steve Jewell found out less than 12 months ago that his father was diagnosed with stage four oesophageal cancer. You can feel the raw emotion in every single chord – a truly beautiful masterpiece despite the tearjerking lyrical inspiration behind the track.
On the other hand, Caught Up In The Up Down is not a bad song melodically or lyrically. It just seems a bit more predictable and lacklustre compared to earlier tracks on the EP, despite referencing true hip-hop legends such as LUDACRIS and NELLY throughout. What You’re Made Of is also a little uninspiring and forgettable, feeling commonplace with other BLACK STONE CHERRY tracks previously heard.
Their cover of SIMPLE MINDS’ Don’t You (Forget About Me) manages to regain some much-needed traction to Celebrate. Featuring THEORY OF A DEADMAN‘s vocalist Tyler Connelly, the harmonies just work so well together. Giving this iconic 80s track a welcome rock overhaul, it is unexpected and somewhat legendary in its own right – a fabulous closer to this EP.
It is evidently clear that BLACK STONE CHERRY are old hands in the industry at this point. Celebrate is an EP which features solid production and polished vocals complete with buckets of pure emotion and rawness that was a little unexpected, to say the least. Even though there are some misses, the many hits manage to bring Celebrate to life.
Rating: 8/10
Celebrate is out now via Mascot Records.
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