![]() ![]() I was curious to see how the Greek musicians would fit into Joe’s style of music, and I think Shirley did a good job in where he placed them on the album. “Athens to Athens” is a slow, Greek-infused song that features the Greek musicians more prominently than most of the other songs. Joe plays a couple of fiery solos in this tune. “Look Over Yonders Wall” is a mid-tempo blues number that is a cover of a James Clark tune. ![]() This is an original Bonamassa tune and is one of my favorites on the album. Again, I’ve never heard the original, so I can’t compare this version to the original.Īfter “Night Life” is “Wandering Earth”, which is a slow, but heavy blues that has some of the best guitar tones on the album. King helps contribute to the more traditional sound. “Night Life” also falls into the category of more traditional blues, even though it’s a cover of a Willie Nelson tune. Joe seems to be using a 335-style guitar on this track, which contributes to the more classic sound compared to his more rock-oriented tracks. To me, this song evokes the blues of the 50s and 60s. “Three Times a Fool” is one of the more traditional blues songs on the album. It’s probably the slowest song on the album and is a nice bridge between “Spanish Boots” and the bluesier “Three Times a Fool.” I’ve never heard the original, so I can’t compare them, but I really like Joe’s version. I was a little surprised to see Joe cover a Leonard Cohen tune, but his version of “Bird on a Wire” is excellent. ![]() Both versions are excellent, but I think I like Bonamassa’s version a little better. In my opinion, Beck’s version is more laid back than Bonamassa’s version, which is more upfront and in your face. “Spanish Boots” is a Jeff Beck tune, and Bonamassa’s version is quite a bit different than Beck’s version. “Quarryman’s Lament” is a slow, dirge-like number that features some excellent acoustic playing by Joe. Next is “Quarryman’s Lament”, which is presumably a response to “Story of a Quarryman” from Joe’s last album The Ballad of John Henry. Fortunately, the third song on the album, “When the Fire Hits the Sea”, changes that by featuring a very nice slide solo. I really enjoy Joe’s slide playing, but the slide hasn’t been prominently featured on one of his albums for several years. His recorded guitar tones are some of my favorite, and Black Rock continues that tradition. Vocally, Joe seems to be stretching himself further with each album. The album starts off with a couple of heavier blues tunes, “Steal Your Heart Away” followed by “I Know a Place.” These songs set a nice tone for the album. King on the Willie Nelson tune “Night Life.” On Black Rock, Joe covers songs by Jeff Beck, John Hiatt, Otis Rush, Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen, Blind Boy Fuller, and James Clark. As I’ve mentioned before, Joe has a way of taking songs written by other people and making them his own. Joe wrote 5 of the 13 tracks on the album. Like Bonamassa’s previous solo albums, Black Rock contains a mixture of original tunes and covers. You can read more about the recording process here. Additionally, Greek folk musicians were brought in to play with Joe. At the start of the recording sessions, Shirley had Joe record using a Telecaster directly into small amps to force Bonamassa out of his Les Paul/Marshall comfort zone. Recorded in picturesque Santorini, Greece, Black Rock* is the next chapter of the Shirley/Bonamassa collaboration. On the contrary, Shirley seems to be able to push Bonamasssa a little further with each new release, and Bonamassa’s signature sound gets more refined. Which is not to say that the records sound rushed. I don’t know how they do it, but they’ve got the process down to a science. Each year they get together for a few weeks and record a new album. The live album precedes Bonamassa’s London March 2013 concerts at The Borderline (March 26), o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (March 27), Hammersmith Apollo (March 28), and Royal Albert Hall (March 30).Joe Bonamassa and Kevin Shirley have a good thing going. John Hiatt joins Bonamassa on Down Around My Place and I Know A Place, while Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), is featured alongside Bonamassa on Fire And Water and Walk In My Shadows.Ĩ: I’ll Take Care Of You (with Beth Hart)Ģ: Down Around My Place (with John Hiatt)ĥ: Walk In My Shadows (with Paul Rodgers) Beth Hart performs with Bonamassa on I’ll Take Care of You and Sinner’s Prayer. Subway Blues, followed by Slow Train, from 2011’s solo album Dust Bowl, plus fan favourites Midnight Blues, Dust Bowl, Bird On A Wire, Blue & Evil, Mountain Time, and many more. The double live album, released by Provogue Records in the UK on Monday September 24th, features 20 stunning tracks that spans his incredible career. Joe Bonamassa: Beacon Theatre – Live From New York is released as a 2 CD and double vinyl album for the very first time. ![]()
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