Artist: CALIFORNIA BREED [GLENN HUGHES, JASON BONHAM]
Album: CALIFORNIA BREED CLEAR/ YELLOW VINYL (2LP)

Year: 2014
Media type: LP

Former Black Country Communion stars, singer-bassist Glenn Hughes and drummer Jason Bonham, have formed their new band California Breed, featuring the astounding talents of 23-year-old singer-guitarist Andrew Watt, the fact that their first album has been produced by Dave Cobb, whose spectacular work with Rival Sons has received so much acclaim, gives a big clue as to what they sound like.

Indeed, all 12 tracks on the as-yet untitled forthcoming California Breed album – the band have signed a deal with signed a deal with the Frontiers label - have equal co-writing credits amongst the band. Recorded at Cobb’s Nashville studio, “Everything was done more or less live,” says Hughes, “including the vocals. Which is the reverse of how I’ve always done things”. The end result is a sound that combines all the classic rock elements of BCC – big, meat-cleaver riffs and heart-rending vocals – but with a 21st century gloss that comes from working with someone as up-to-the-minute and talented as Watt (whose previous music can be heard at his Soundcloud page and on the track below, with video directed by Mick Rock).

Look out for Midnight Oil, a raunchy Stones-esque rocker with breathless female backing vocals, deep groove rhythms and face-smacking guitars. The other breakout track is All Falls Down, the kind of spine-tingling pop-rock-who-knows-what that starts all colour and light and finishes all towering harmonies, back-arching guitars and epidemic-sized catchiness.

There are others but, as Hughes says, “This, I promise, is going to be something special.”

SIDE A:

01. The Way
02. Sweet Tea
03. Chemical Rain

SIDE B:

04. Midnight Oil
05. All Falls Down
06. The Grey

SIDE C:

07. Days They Come
08. Spit You Out
09. Strong

SIDE D:

10. Invisible
11. Scars
12. Breathe
13. Solo - bonus track

LINE-UP:

Glenn Hughes: vocals, bass guitar
Jason Bonham: drums
Andrew Watt: guitars

Produced by Dave Cobb