It’s time to get serious again with some Alter Bridge. Blackbird is my personal favorite song by them as well as the band’s favorite song that they have made so far. Alter Bridge is composed of the drummer, guitarist, and bass player from the band Creed, and before you roll your eyes at Creed, just hit play on this song and learn that this sounds nothing like them. The difference in the two bands is Myles Kennedy who is the singer for Alter Bridge. He is widely considered one of the best singers, if not the best, in the rock genre. Listen, and you will see why.
Verses: 8/10
The verses are the weakest part of the song, but that’s not to say they are bad. There is a nice guitar riff that keeps it moving. The verses are mainly for the lyrics, which are very good, but very sad. More on that later.
Chorus: 9/10
This is a powerful chorus. The singing and guitar are massive and really stand out from the quieter verses that come before it. The lyrics are also as powerful and heavy as the instruments.
Bridge: 9/10
It is debatable if the solo is part of the bridge, I am going to not include it though. The bridge starts quiet and eerie, but then builds, and you just know something awesome is coming.
Guitar Solo: 10/10
This is hands down the best part of the song. This is music, people. Up until this point we have had a very solid song that is clearly about death, and is generally very sad. The guitar solo comes in small and sad, and then builds into something awesome. If you listen, like really listen to this song and focus on all of the parts, this solo will make you feel something. It still gives me chills when I hear it. When is the last time a pop song did something like that? One final thing is this solo has been voted by various entities in the rock community as the best guitar solo of all time. Some lists will have other great solos, such as the solo in “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd, but this one always is near the top.
Lyrics: 10/10
This song was dedicated to Myles Kennedy’s friend, who died as this song was being made. Alter Bridge created a truly epic song about the heavy topic of a friend’s death. The lyrics are very creative and deep. If you don’t like music that makes you feel things, especially sad things, this is not for you. I will gladly listen to this anyway over the BS you hear on a pop radio today.
Singing: 10/10
Myles shows off his pipes in this epic. He has a phenomenal vocal range, allowing him to crush high notes and belt out the low ones as well. Myles is often also used in projects by Slash and various others.
Overall: 9.5/10
This song is a masterpiece. I don’t think everyone would like this song, necessarily. If you aren’t a fan of the rock genre you might not like it, but think you could still appreciate all of the skill displayed in this song. If you do like rock at all, give it a listen and I am sure you will be addicted very quickly.
