I'll start this review out by admitting I'm old - I've been a fan of Glenn Hughes and have been keeping up with his career since the days of DEEP PURPLE and have been looking forward to this disc since I first read about it. Needless to say, it was well worth the wait! Although I don't consider CALIFORNIA BREED to be a Metal band in the slightest, this album rocks pretty damn hard! I also have to admit that while it sounded great on paper, I just never able to get into BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. I gave all their discs and live albums a chance to grab me and none of them ever stuck. Joe Bonamassa is a monster guitar player and I'm a fan of his solo work, after hearing this new release, I'm sort of convinced it may have been him that kept this "super group" from being a regular staple of my playlist. Newcomer Guitarist Andrew Watt is just what the doctor ordered and makes CALIFORNIA BREED the straight up Rock disc to beat for me in 2014...

As the disc starts rolling, Hughes sings like a man possessed and rocks out like I haven't heard him do in years and with Jason Bonham behind the kit, so there was no doubt whatsoever in my mind how powerful a rhythm section this band has! The raw production also adds a cool "classic sounding" element and makes it sound like this disc could have come out in 1978, but sounds totally natural in 2014. No weak tracks here, but stand outs for me include opener, "The Way", "Sweet Tea", "Strong" and "Spit You Out".

I know they recently played a couple live dates to promote this new release and Glenn Hughes was very vocal in his online feud with Joe Bonamassa about playing live, so I hope I get the opportunity to catch these guys at a live venue near me sometime very soon! If you're looking for a metal album, you've come to the wrong place, but if you're looking for a killer hard rock album, pick this one up right away!