Black Country Communion split in 2013 after only four years, in part because of guitarist
Joe Bonamassa's tight schedule and the demanding commitments of his solo career. Vocalist and bassist
Glenn Hughes and drummer
Jason Bonham decided they had too much of a good thing and founded
California Breed with 23-year-old guitarist/vocalist
Andrew Watt. Produced by
Dave Cobb, the material is, as expected, blues-based hard rock, and its sound draws on inspirations from
Led Zeppelin (check
Watt's inversion of the "Heartbreaker" riff in opener "The Way"),
AC/DC ("Sweet Tea"), early
Whitesnake ("Midnight Oil"), and even
Alice in Chains ("The Grey"), but
California Breed combine and recombine styles in a manner that is consistently their own. While
Bonham's drums are as dominant as
Hughes' voice, the interplay between the latter's basslines and
Watt's wide-ranging guitar technique is a true highlight. He plays loads of solos on the set, but they are short and focused, and unabashedly reveal his influences from
Jimmy Page,
Tony Iommi,
Jimi Hendrix, and
Jerry Cantrell, but precision and fluidity come down the line from
Jeff Beck (check "Invisible" and "Scars"). Fans of hard rock may justifiably lament the loss of
Country Black Communion, but the blues-based squall of
California Breed from their self-titled debut is no small consolation. ~ Thom Jurek