GLENN HUGHES: BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION Is 'Making A Rock Album For Rock Fans'

Icon Vs. Icon recently conducted an interview with legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Icon Vs. Icon: Is [your new solo record] "Resonate" an album you could have written as a younger man?

Hughes: "I think everything I do in my older years is something I couldn't do when I was younger. I think I've become more of a studious musician, as both a player and a writer. I think as I get older, the channel is still open for me. I know a lot of my peer group, when they are in their 60s, sort of retire or just don't feel it anymore. Perhaps maybe they just want to do something else. For me, I am in fine tune to what I should do. I know that I've been given a gift to write songs and share those songs with people across the planet, so it's my pleasure to keep making music and keep it fresh!"

Icon Vs. Icon: It has been a few years since your previous solo album. That's not to say you haven't been busy in the meantime. What made this the right time to release a solo record?

Hughes: "It was definitely time for a new solo album. With BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION doing three albums and a DVD and then CALIFORNIA BREED doing an album, it took about five years out of my life. With the surgery on my knees and the heart surgery, I was down for two years in recovery, so it was time for me to come back with this album. This is an album, like you said, where I'm going back to my roots. This is a rock record for rock fans. I think people are excited by the fact that I've returned to that element. It's very dangerous, lyrically dense and heavy in lyrical content as well. I wasn't frightened. I worked through some fears to do this album. You know, when I write, I can tell if a song I am doing is going to be completed. I don't finish some songs if I feel it may not be right for a particular album. Every song you hear on this album was written in the spring in my studio and I knew that I was onto something. I knew I could take the songs into the Copenhagen and record this album with my band."

Icon Vs. Icon: Earlier this year, it was revealed BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION will make its return in 2017. How did you guys get back on the same page after the past few years apart?

Hughes: "One thing I want to make clear to everybody across air nation is that Joe Bonamassa and I never fell out. It just happened that after 'Afterglow' was recorded and released in the fall of 2012, there was no touring schedule set. Being that there was no touring schedule set, I decided to leave the band simply because I needed to go back to my solo career. There was never falling out. Joe was continuing with his solo career and it just never worked out that we could do a lot of touring. Over the course of the years, we have spoken to each other and we had lunch the spring. We said, 'Wouldn't it be great to make another record? Maybe the time is right to do that.' There's certain times when people get back together for reunions and if they have their material, they have a good insight. We are actually writing now and we have written half of the album. Joe is coming next week to finish up the songs and we will be headed back into the studio in January."

Icon Vs. Icon: While it is early in the process, what's the direction you see yourself moving sonically?

Hughes: "You know, it's a combination of all three albums. It will sound like BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. When you hear the first few bars of the song, you will know it's us! We are not making any severe left turns or opening up any new doors of trying to do something that is different from the way we started. We are very focused on what we should do. We are making a rock album for rock fans. We're not making anything different than pure rock music in the tradition of what BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION set out to do in 2010."

Icon Vs. Icon: It is a strange time here in America right before this election. Seeing as you do have such a positive world outlook, I wanted to get your thoughts on America at this point in time.

Hughes: "Obviously, we are in a position right now where we have two candidates that may not be the ideal view for Americans. We are facing reality. I'm not going to talk to much about who I think should be president because everybody's got their own opinion and I think artists and actors should stay out of it. With that said, we are in a bit of a mess here. We have to hope that Congress and the things we move forward on, the stability of our economy, protecting our borders and keeping Americans free in all four corners of the world, is very important to our nation. We stand at the abyss right now where we have to be very, very positive. It's very, very clear to me what's going on in the political race. It's just a nightmare with what we're facing. We have to stay positive. America is the greatest country in the world! I only hope and pray that in the next couple of weeks, when it comes down to the election day, that we have guile and some insight on how we can move our country forward. I have been living here for 43 years and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."

Read the entire interview at Icon Vs. Icon.