Zavier Pike
Born out of the early 2000s southern-rock scene, Black Stone Cherry has seen a projection and consistent growth in their career like no other. From the 2006 release of first (and hit) single ‘Lonely Train’ to the release of the most recent single ‘Neon Eyes’, the band has seen a consistency in hitting the mark every time. Celebrate, as an EP, seems to be creatively pieced together in a way where it kicks your ass, consoles you and then puts the boot in again. Individually speaking, ‘Celebrate’ welcomes you to the beating with a hard driving riff, complimented by that iconic bassy tone so you have no doubt who’s got you locked in for the next 20 minutes or so. With a chorus which will be ringin’ in your head for days to come, that hard driving force would be sure to unfold the arms of Metallica merch-clad blokes, at the back of the venue, nodding their shiny heads to that whip of a snare.
Rolling into ‘Neon Eyes’, it seems to begin to suggest that stylistically there is to be some sort of nod towards previous work, as the swagger of the verse is somewhat reminiscent of ‘Bad Luck & Hard Love’ from 2014’s Magic Mountain. This swagger rounds off the first half of the EP with ‘Caught Up In the Up Down’ seeming to culminate the catchy verses of ‘Neon Eyes’ and the iconic, festival belting choruses of ‘Celebrate’. As you are driven into the second half of Celebrate. you are now at the point where the band is apologising for such chunky riffage, but with no shortage of absolute anthems for you to embarrass yourself, screeching, in front of your loved ones at a gig or festival.
‘I’m Fine’ and ‘Deep’ are a midpoint victory-lap to show that the band is still king of the ballad. ‘What You’re Made Of’ puts the boot back in with some motivational choruses, backed with those jumpy beats that get your face scrunched and fist raised, ending the lesson on how to write a masterclass in just 6 songs. Very thoughtfully, you’re then hit with an encore of Simple Mind’s ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ which sounds like a Black Stone Cherry original with how well integrated their writing style and tone has been woven into the fibres of the song’s core, providing many fans with the hope that we may see more of this in the future, even if it is just live.
Celebrate is a much-needed relief for many southern rock fans who are running out of patience, waiting for the giants to feed us more anthems. With 6 years being in between this release and most recent The Human Condition, it’s reassuring to know Black Stone Cherry are not going anywhere and hopefully have many more records to eagerly wait on.