Tag: joe bonamassa (Page 1 of 2)

Going back to 2006 for this one. I think this is where the oh so prosperous partnership with uber producer Kevin Shirley first started. You have to admit the production on this album is stellar. Every instrument is placed perfectly and the clarity is incredible.

High Water Everywhere kicks things off with an old school blues vibe and a killer dirty riff. Next up is Bridge To Better Days. It starts nice slow with a pounding groove and a killer riff, then the switch is flicked and the heavy blues rock groove that Joe is famous for takes over. Asking Around For You is as traditional blues as it gets. When the word blues is spoken, this is what pops in your mind. Very similar groove to So Many Roads, except Joe rips it up right from the get go. Awesome tune!

I Don’t Believe is a kick ass shuffle. I’m a sucker for a shuffle! It’s acoustic country blues time with Tamp ‘Em Up Solid. This one sounds as though he is playing right in front of you. Great production. Django used to be the track he walked out to when he played, and if I’m honest it sounds a lot like Jeff Beck. Tea For One follows and is a cover of early Zeppelin, and you have Jason Bonham on the drums to give it that right feel. Palm Trees Helicopters And Gasoline keeps that Zeppelin feel right along with Jo Bo giving it plenty on the acoustic.

Your Funeral And My Trial takes you on a hard shuffle groove and it’s my favourite track on the album. I said I’m a sucker for a shuffle. The album closes out with Torn Down. A choo choo train main groove while Joe wails over the top vocally, then a quirk burst of speed, and back we go. Repeat and away we go.

You can’t deny Jo Bo has worked his ass off and he deserves all that comes to him. Solid album.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

I’m amazed at how Joe keeps it fresh, as he seems to churn out albums every week. Whether it be solo records or collaborations, and even side projects, there is so much with JoBo on it out there.

This album was put out in 2018, and has the full ensemble, with female backing singers, and horn section. All original compositions this time, and no covers. Evil Mama has Joe’s patented blues rock groove, and this is a really great track. King Bee Shakedown is more of a traditional fast blues shuffle, and sounds epic with the full band – almost a big band vibe. This sets the tone for the whole record: a mixture of modern blues rock groovers and more traditional sounding pieces, even a jug band sounding tune with Pick Up The Pieces. Joe has a love of country, and that shows through on the Ghost Of Macon Jones. My favourite track is the opening tune, Evil Mama. It’s one of the best things he’s done. From the Zeppelin drum fill at the beginning, this track has such a killer groove. Great album.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the 20th anniversary edition of A New Day Yesterday, that has been remixed, remastered, and re-sung – hence the new title. I remember seeing him on this tour at Southport (of all places), and thinking he was a killer player, but the place was far from full. Oh how things change! He is now the leading light of the blues movement and sells out venues all over the world, and boy does he deserve it! He as worked his ass off over the twenty years since this album was originally released.

This album is a mix of covers and originals, which he has done so well over the years. The covers are not what you would expect with tracks by Rory Gallagher, Free, Al Kooper, and the title track which was a Jethro Tull song. Joe’s version is a stone cold killer with some epic guitar. Of course Joe pays his respects to older blues artists paying homage to Albert King with Don’t Burn Down That Bridge. I have the original of this album, and this does sound amazing. It’s definitely worth buying as you get a bonus side with three extra tracks, with Line Of Denial being the best.

Even with all the heavyweight covers on the album, my favourite track is a Joe original with I Know Where I Belong. It has a great funky groove and swings along beautifully with an epic Joe solo. Joe doesn’t make bad records and this revamp is superb.

10/10 from The Grooveman.