BLACK ROBOT ‘Black Robot’ (Formosa/Rocket Science) RATING: 8/10

By GREG MAKI

How has AC/DC never written a song called “Girls Kissing Girls”? You’d think it would’ve been a no-brainer for them at some point. I had never thought about it before, but now that I’m considering it, it’s almost unfathomable. Fortunately, Black Robot is here to pick up the slack.

The new band is the brainchild of bassist Jonathan “JB” Brightman, a founding member of Buckcherry who played on their first two (and best) albums, and frontman Huck Johns, who released a solo album a few years ago through Capitol Records. Their self-titled debut also features former Buckcherry members Yogi (guitar) and Devon Glenn (drums), but this band isn’t trying to ride anyone’s coattails—not Buckcherry’s or the aforementioned band that clearly is its biggest influence. While another spawn of AC/DC, Airbourne, speeds up the tempos and emphasizes the hard-rocking aspects of the band, Black Robot takes its cues from AC/DC’s more eclectic early days of the 1970s, a time when rocking out with bagpipes on “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” seemed perfectly natural. That means there’s room for Black Robot to stretch its legs to include an occasional ballad (“I’m in Love,” “Stop the World) with piano and organ accompaniment, and, mostly through Johns’ performance, a Southern rock soulfulness. Maybe some of that soul also comes from Johns’ Detroit background; check out the closer, “Nervous Breakdown,” my favorite track on the album.

Don’t get the wrong idea—this is not an experimental recording meant to turn the music world on its ear. This is a rock album with anthemic songs dripping with the bravado of the genre’s greats. Tracks like the brash opener “Baddass,” a reworking of the J.J. Cale classic “Cocaine,” “Girls Kissing Girls,” the title track, “Love on a .45,” “Dissatisfaction” and “23 Days of Night” should have no trouble working an audience into a frenzy. Producer Dave Cobb (Shooter Jennings) gives the songs a suitably rough edge. It’s raw, spontaneous, alive—the way rock music should sound.

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