After a well-received self-titled debut album and a couple of tours throughout Europe and the US, Black Stone Cherry is back with their second record. Their first record was a surprising debut, and the shows of these four guys are even better. During their first tour in Europe they degraded headliner Hinder to an insignificant after-party and during their second, and first headlining, tour they showed that they aren’t some one-hit wonder. Now, with Folklore And Superstition, they’re back with a mix of Southern rock, post-grunge and blues.

Folklore And Superstition opens with ‘Blind Man’ and this is the perfect track to pick up where they left one-and-a-half year ago with Black Stone Cherry. Immediately it is clear that these guys have grown, but especially vocalist Chris Robertson stands out. With his great voice he definitely pushes it to a next level. Besides the band’s growth, Black Stone Cherry also sounds more diverse on this record. Besides up-tempo Southern rock songs the band also has got a couple of ballads on the album. ‘Things My Father Said’, ‘Peace Is Free’ and ‘You’ are beautiful rest points on this album and fortunately they mix them well with the other tracks. These songs could become a commercial success, but it never feels as if they’re might be the “next big thing” after, for example, Nickelback.

On stage they still are a bit more powerful than on their records, but that doesn’t matter. Folklore And Superstition is of a very high quality and it succeeds in keeping the listeners attention from start to finish. When the final tones of ‘Ghost Of Floyd Collins’ have fade away, the only thing you want is more Black Stone Cherry. They’re still young and have got a whole life ahead of them, but they sound amazingly mature and if they can continue making music of this level the way to the top might not be that long at all.