Review: Glenn Hughes – Chosen
Glenn Hughes – Chosen
Format: CD – Vinyl Lp – Digital / Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Release: 2025
Text: Martien Koolen
The voice of rock is back with a vengeance as Glenn Hughes, after a nine-year hiatus, “returns” with his new, impressive solo album called ‘Chosen.’ I must admit that ‘Chosen’ has been doing overtime in my CD player, as I cannot get enough of Hughes latest hard rock masterpiece. ‘Chosen’ is a 100% hard rock juggernaut that grabs you by the throat (and balls…) right from the opening track Voice In My Head till the final song Into The Fade.
Hughes’s voice is immaculate, raw, rich, and soulful on ‘Chosen’ and he mixes hard rock, soul, and funk into his own impeccable unique sound. So, the ten new tracks on ‘Chosen’ are mostly hard-driving and heavy, also due to the fantastic drumming expertise of Ash Sheehan and the heavy, chunky guitar riffs and melodies of Soren Anderson.
Besides Hughes extraordinary voice, and bass playing, the weight of his lyrics is also particularly important on ‘Chosen,’ as it is an extremely spiritual album indeed, reflecting Hughes’s beliefs and philosophy. Voice In My Head opens the album with a hammer as that song has a fantastic melodic and heavy hook indeed. Next up is My Alibi, displaying a calm verse and a wonderful, powerful chorus indeed, while the title track is a much darker track, but also a 100% fierce hard rocker for sure; so, play that one very LOUD indeed.
In The Golden, another highlight here, has a monstrous mighty guitar riff and a heartfelt guitar solo, while Hot Damn Thing and Black Cat Moan show the funkier side of mister Hughes. The Lost Parade features some heavy blues rock characteristics, and it displays Hughes sensational vocal skills immaculately. Come And Go, if you listen very carefully, “offers” some Beatles-Esque melodies, being a wonderful ballad-like track with heartfelt vocals from the master of course….
The final song of ‘Chosen’ is called Into The Fade, featuring an addictive groove, and after that one you might want to press the repeat button to listen to ‘Chosen’ once again, as it is a hard rock masterpiece; an essential listen for 100% that is second to none.
‘Chosen’ is truly one of THE records of the year, so buy or die, and I am of course really looking forward to hearing the voice of rock in the flesh on September 19 in Maastricht.
Data:
September 19: Muziekgieterij – Maastricht
September 20: Doornroosje – Nijmegen
Tracks:
01. Voice In My Head
02. My Alibi
03. Chosen
04. Heal
05. In The Golden
06. The Lost Parade
07. Hot Damn Thing
08. Black Cat Moan
09. Come And Go
10. Into The Fade
Line-up:
Glenn Hughes – Vocals
Soren Andersen – Guitar
Ash Sheehan – Drums
Bob Fridzema – Keys
Website: https://www.glennhughes.com/