Writing The Black Decade

Bruce Springsteen once said he intended to make an album with words like Bob Dylan that sounded like Phil Spector where he sang like Roy Orbison, a nifty summary of many, but not all, of his artistic ambitions and a key to his appeal.

They say you can't go home again, but Black Stone Cherry proves otherwise on "Kentucky". The hard-rocking Bluegrass State quartet recorded its fifth album, and follow-up to 2014's Magic Mountain, at Barrick Recording in Glasgow, KY, where it recorded its 2006 debut album. The 13 tracks find BSC connecting with that same youthful energy (check out "Shakin' My Cage," "Soul Machine" or "Rescue Me") but demonstrates the wisdom gleaned from nearly a decade of recording and touring on tracks such as the reflective "Long Ride" and a brassy (and timely) take on Edwin Starr's Motown classic "War". The deluxe edition features two bonus tracks.

They say that good things come to those who wait. A little over a year after their launch, you could say that Cardinal Black are testament to the power of patience, thought and persistence.

EXCEPTIONAL 1980 BLACK SABBATH BROADCAST PERFORMED DURING THE DIO ERA Following Ozzy Osbourne s departure from Black Sabbath in 1979, manager Don Arden s daughter Sharon - soon to become Mrs. Osbourne - suggested hiring ex-Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio as his replacement. Dio officially joined in June 79, and the band began writing their next album. With a notably different vocal style from Osbourne's, Dio's addition to the band marked a change in Black Sabbath's sound. "They were totally different altogether", Tommy Iommi explained.