Joe Bonamassa Blues Of Desperation cd review


BONAMASSA EVOLVES AS BLUES-ROCK MUSICIAN WITH NEW ALBUM “BLUES OF DESPERATION”
RELEASED WORLDWIDE ON
FRIDAY 25th MARCH 2016


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Joe Bonamassa releases his new cd Blues Of Desperation on March 25th through the Mascot Label Group and the follow up to 2014's Different Shade Of Blue.

Being the hardest working man in any form of music in that period we have also had the Live At New York City Radio Music Hall and Muddy Wolf Live At Red Rocks cd/dvds and he has also recorded at Carnegie Hall and the Three Kings Live At The Greek too.

Joe and his long-time producer Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Journey) convened at Nashville’s Grand Victor Sound Studios (formerly known as RCA Studio A), and during an intense, five-day period they recorded 11 galvanizing songs with a crack group of musicians including drummers Anton Fig and Greg Morrow, bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese Wynans, horn players Lee Thornburg,Paulie Cerra and Mark Douthit, and background singers Mahalia BarnesJade McRae and Juanita Tippins.



Kevin had the idea of using two drummers with the idea of making Joe work harder like in his early years and to ruffle his feathers.The added rhythmic playing at times verges on tribal with no gaps as the two drummers fill in all available space and give the recordings a real vibrant urgency.

I have to say the production on the album is superb with a fantastic live feel to the whole cd.

Opener This Train starts the cd in fine fashion with a fast paced blues rocker with Joe's guitar imitating the train between choruses.Plenty of Reese Wynans keyboards for added depth and the two drummers Anton Fig and Greg Morrow hammer out a wonderful rhythmic beat and some added background vocals from the girls too.
As Joe starts his first superb guitar solo the production comes into play with a wonderful bass line from Michael Rhodes alongside the drum pattern too.

Mountain Climbing again has the two drummers on full alert and Joe's stop start guitar riff with another monstrous bass line from Rhodes.On the chorus we have some huge background vocals alongside Joe.He is always known for his guitar playing and rightly so but he has worked hard on his vocals and his range is excellent.
This will be a monster of a song in the live setting and his picked high end guitar solo shows it isn't always about how many notes you play but how you play.Although by the end of the lengthy solo he is showing the youngsters a thing or too.
Some light and shade before it all builds up to the big chorus again.

After 2 very uptempo songs we drop a notch or two for Drive which has the feel of a delta blues song that could have been recorded on a porch with the setting sun in the distance.
Beautiful orchestration and Joe's playing is very understated until the solo where he picks his way through but never in a flash way.More background vocals from the girls and more rhythmic magic from the drum team.
A song that you can imagine being messed around with live and could be a different animal in time.



No Good Place For The Lonely is 8 and a half minutes of magic.A rolling held guitar riff and a more usual rhythm with added orchestration at the end of the chorus.Joe really spreads his wings on the guitar solo which starts slowly as guitar melodies for around a minute or so then after a quick drum fill he then shows why he is one of the greatest guitar players on the planet.He shows a sense of dynamics and passion with feel few can muster as for nearly four minutes he really let's rip and when you think he can't do more he does and the first time I heard it the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention.A show stopper for sure.
The band interplay under Joe's solo is again breath taking.

The title track starts slowly with some delayed theramin and some of that tribal rhythmic feel before a big guitar riff kicks alongside a pounding drum and bass track.Mid song Joe's theramin is in and out alongside a lengthy slide guitar solo and the double drummers making themselves heard again.Superb.

The Valley Runs Low is a mellow acoustic led number with a superb Joe vocal and plenty of backing vocals through the chorus.

You Left Me Nothin' But the Bill And The Blues is an uptempo bluesy number with the horn players making an appearance and Reece Wynan's keys filling in any gaps wonderfully.Would have fitted perfectly on the recent Red Rocks live dvd with it's rock and blues shuffle and Joe's fiery guitar solo's.

Distant Lonesome Train sees a return to the two drummers with a big chorus and a big guitar riff.During the verses Joe stops playing leaving the drum rhythm as the driving force and Joe's mid song solo is breathtaking and he follows it up in the outro with another lengthy passage with his guitar howling as the drums keep on rumbling.Another one to look forward to in the live show.



Photo Credit: © Marty Moffat

How Deep This River Runs bursts into life in the chorus which is amazing.Joe takes the low note as the girls hit the high and the two drummers burst into life as the guitar riff also increases in volume.Not what you would expect after the low key first verse.The guitar soloing is Joe at his finest with bursts of fiery work and a lengthy passage of virtuoso indulgence and the superb production again evident as the bass and drums continue to impress.
Back to the verse which is so laid back in comparison to the chorus and mid song orchestration and all the better for it.More Joe soloing alongside the chorus line in the outro.
Brilliant.

Livin' Easy is a number fit for smoky blues clubs with the saxophone and keys as the lead instruments and Joe's laid back vocal stylings and some Joe acoustic soloing mid song.

What I've Known for A Very Long Time closes the cd in style with a slow bluesy number with Joe's vocal at it's heart.Lazy horns in the chorus and mid verse and Reece adding some real depth to the sound with keyboard splashes.

Blues Of Desperation is Joe's second consecutive all original material cd and again sees Joe spreading his wings and managing to reinvent the blues time and time again.

Having the two drummers was a master stroke from Kevin Shirley and brings an urgency and different approach to the table and you wonder where they will go next.

Blues Of Desperation sees Joe Bonamassa again pushing the boundaries of the blues to new heights.



Photo Credit: © Rick Gould


JOE BONAMASSA - MARCH 2016 UK DATES

BIRMINGHAM BARCLAYCARD ARENA
SATURDAY 19th MARCH 2016
Ticket Prices: £45, £60, £75
Book Tickets Online: theticketfactory.com
Box Office: 0844 338 0338 / Doors: 7pm
King Edwards Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2AA

BOURNEMOUTH BIC
SUNDAY 20th MARCH 2016
Ticket Prices: £35, £45, £65, £75
Book Tickets Online: bhlivetickets.com
Box Office: 0844 576 3000 / Doors: 7:30pm
Exeter Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 5BH

PLYMOUTH PAVILIONS
MONDAY 21st MARCH 2016
Ticket Prices: £35, £45, £60, £75
Book Tickets Online: plymouthpavilions.com
Box Office: 0845 146 1460 / Doors:  6:30pm
Millbay Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 3LF

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Joe Bonamassa in Concert: A Salute to the British Blues Explosion (UK Tour)  
Joe Bonamassa pays homage to the music of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page

24 Hour Ticket Hotline: 0844 844 0444

HOGHTON TOWER
SATURDAY 2nd JULY 2016
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
Venue Number: 01254 852986
North Preston, Lancashire, PR5 0SH

GLASGOW CLYDE AUDITORIUM
SUNDAY 3rd JULY 2016
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
Venue Box Office: 0844 395 4000
Glasgow, G3 8YW

BRISTOL COLSTON HALL
TUESDAY 5th JULY 2016
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
24 Hour Venue Box Office: 0844 887 1500
Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 5AR

LONDON GREENWICH MUSIC TIME FESTIVAL
THURSDAY 7th JULY 2016
www.greenwichmusictime.co.uk/book-tickets
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
Old Royal Naval College, King William Walk, London, SE10 9NN

NEWARK CASTLE
FRIDAY 8th JULY 2016
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk
24 Hour Box Office: 0844 844 0444
Venue Number: 01636 655765
Newark Castle, Riverside Park, Tolney Lane, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 1BZ


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