BLACK STONE CHERRY

Family Tree MASCOT Southern rock stalwarts dig deeper from the well

Black Stone Cherry don’t make bad albums, but this one takes them to a new level. All the obvious roots are still embedded – the Southern impact, the riotous 21st-century blues, the hummable tunes – but there’s a joyously live atmosphere throughout Family Tree. The band are clearly playing with huge grins as they stomp through the swamp on Dancin’ In The Rain

– with guest guitarist Warren haynes from Government Mule – and unleash a pop/rock anthemic groove for Bad Habit. Appropriately, James Brown has a soul pulse, while Get Me Over

You nods towards prime lynyrd Skynyrd. It gives off the vibe of a band who didn’t have everything worked out before they went into the studio, but let the music take them in spontaneous directions instead. This is BSC paying homage their heroes, but making their own mark on the Southern rock canon. FOR FANS OF: BLACKBERRY SMOKE, CLUTCH, LYNYRD SKYNYRD