GLENN HUGHES – Chosen (Album Review)

To be chosen by greatness.

It is said that you are only as young as you feel, and for a man who has seen highs and lows comparable to several deaths and subsequent rebirths, English hard rock bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes has entered his golden years with a remarkably youthful stride. In addition to his past participation with British rock icons Deep Purple (for which he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016) and a short-term mid-1980s stint as lead vocalist of Black Sabbath, his career has been a highly prolific one as a session and solo artist with numerous collaborations and an expansive studio output spanning nearly 5 decades.

In recent years, his ventures have included membership in the English-American supergroup Black Country Communion and the Australian-American hard rock band The Dead Daisies. Now with nearly 10 years in the rearview since his last solo studio album, namely 2016’s Resonate, Hughes has returned with a vengeance with his 15^th LP bearing his name in Chosen.

Walking a fine line between holding up the hard rock traditions that he helped to codify in the 1970s and embracing the genre’s evolution in the years since, Hughes and his fold of instrumental surgeons have constructed a comprehensive collection of musically involved anthems that stand tall in an ever-expanding field. Be it the distinctive and modern punch of guitarist Soren Andersen’s riff work, the hard-hitting yet measured barrage of drummer Ash Sheehan’s kit work, or the tasteful and atmosphere-bolstering influence of Bob Fridzema’s keyboards, the sonic tapestry that is realized proves massive while maintaining a stripped-down feel conducive to Hughes’ old school roots.

For his own part, Glenn’s work on bass proves integral in establishing the heavy character of several key tracks, while also avoiding excessive technical flourishes to free him up to deliver a highly impassioned and extravagant vocal performance that bridges the divide between hard rock’s early days and its modern post-grunge context.

Though the instrumental arrangement presented on Chosen is an exercise in back to basics, the resulting collection of songs that is realized proves to be anything but that. Drawing from a varied well of ideas and stylistic templates, this is an album that is never content to stand still and practically runs the gamut of every major hard rock era covered in Hughes’ nearly 60-year career.

Up-tempo rockers with an eye to punchy grooves and earworm hooks like opening foray “Voice In My Head” and “In The Golden” hit auditory pay dirt with an interesting hybrid of traditional 70s influences and a dark, 90s and 2000s vibe that conjures up comparisons to the likes of Soundgarden and Alter Bridge. Meanwhile more blatant nods to the old days like “Black Cat Moan” and “Hot Damn Thing” turn up the blues rocking stylings with reckless abandon, the former also coming with some parallels to the whimsical early works of The Black Crowes, while the latter sees a particularly flamboyant vocal display out of Hughes and a flashy guitar performance out of Andersen that all but screams Great White in their 80s prime.

If nothing else, Glenn and his crew are not content to make an impression but seek to leave one in the pavement as well, leaning into each expression in hard rock’s expansive arsenal. One can’t help but note the dark and forbidding character of heavy rocker “The Lost Parade”, which almost sounds like it’s a lost track from Hughes’ work with Iommi, the latter’s 2005 solo album Fused. Likewise, the heavy-ended turned dreary ballad-like character of the title entry “Chosen” doubles as one of the deeper entries on this album while also sparing no expense in the catchy hooks department.

The modern groove machine “My Alibi” sees a rather curious blend of early ’90s alternative rock vibes, complete with a principal riff that could almost be mistaken for a Tom Morello creation and a Chris Cornell-like vocal performance out of Glenn that is so soulful that it completes the Audioslave analogy all but to a fault. Special mention should also be made to the psychedelic rocking balladry of “Come And Go”, which sees a lighter side of Hughes’ vocal persona emerge to mesh with the lighter acoustic and keyboard-drenched atmosphere to truly spellbinding results.

It was a foregone conclusion long before the present date that the title of hard rock original is one deserved by this one-time Deep Purple member and hard rock mainstay, but if any further word in the matter were necessary, Chosen is the sort of album that speaks it effectively to those who remain ignorant of Hughes’ legacy and continued influence on the art.

Indeed, the lack of fashionableness that citing Glenn as an influence may have carried during the heyday of grunge and its post-grunge successors may explain why the likes of Chris Cornell and Myles Kennedy never gave the former a shout out despite his signature soulful resound being an uncanny forerunner to their respective styles by a couple of decades.

In a time where the mainstream seems ambivalent on where it stands in relation to the hard rock genre, the proper remedy ought to include one of the original voices that came roaring out of the British Isles, getting his due credit in corresponding sales and ears lent on the touring circuit.

Release Date: September 5th, 2025
Record Label: Frontiers Music SLR
Genre: Hard Rock

Musicians:

• Glenn Hughes / Vocals, bass
• Soren Andersen / Guitars
• Ash Sheehan / Drums
• Bob Fridzema / Keyboards

Chose Track-list:

1. Voice In My Head
2. My Alibi
3. Chosen
4. Heal
5. In The Golden
6. The Lost Parade
7. Hot Damn Thing
8. Black Cat Moan
9. Come And Go
10. Into The Fade

Pre-order the album here