Album Review: Black Stone Cherry - Magic Mountain

7 May 2014 | 12:23 pm | Carley Hall

The Kentucky four-piece bend their vocals into an almost Chris Cornell-like upper register warble; it’s immediately jarring alongside snappy bass and buzzing guitars on time-changing opener Holding On…

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There are some redeeming features. The Kentucky four-piece bend their vocals into an almost Chris Cornell-like upper register warble; it's immediately jarring alongside snappy bass and buzzing guitars on time-changing opener Holding On… To Letting Go, but it's not long before those half-thought-out lyrical motifs from the likes of Nickelback start creeping in. Harsh, but fair, especially on Blow My Mind – “Come blow my mind/Come on baby give it one more try” – while  Me And Mary Jane, yes, revels in references and metaphors galore. Harmless stuff, but that's really not what one's aiming for, is it?