Single Of The Week ~ Joe Bonamassa & Beth Hart ~ Miss Lady

Hello and welcome to this weeks single of the week! This week I have been really getting back into an artist called Beth Hart recently and in particular one of the songs she performed with Joe Bonamassa on a duet album they made called "Miss Lady". This album came out last year and if you love soul, blues and funk then this is an album for you. 

'Miss Lady' from the first note gives you everything its got and still delivers throughout the song. They have really given this song a lot of thought with all of the breaks in it. Each individual instrument is heard clearly on this song from horns, organ, guitar, bass and of course Beth's vocals. 

The horns are a fantastic edition to the song, it really gives the song a completely new dimension. Using them for the introduction, you know that there's something special on offer. If you really focus on listening to them they're giving the song a lot of diversity and driving the song forward. They can sometimes be overshadowed by Joe's guitar playing, especially in the solo, but keeping song grooving is what it needs. 

One of the highlights of this song is Beth's incredibly soulful voice. With that rasp in her voice, it gives her vocals that edge that is so distinctive. Especially in the break down which sounds like the song is ending already, she really gives it everything she's got. It sounds like she is shouting because of that rasp in her voice, but its pure notations from her and sounds breathtaking!

I would recommend any album by her if you enjoy this song. Even on some of the more mellow songs, her voice continues to impress me. I look forward to a new album from her very soon as its been a long time coming! Even if its another collaboration album with Joe Bonamassa, it would still be an excellent piece of music on display. 

Photo Credit: Christie Goodwin

If you think from this track she is good live, I can wholeheartedly tell you she is incredible live and she's coming back to the UK for a tour next Spring! Here are the dates:

Bristol Colston Hall                         Friday May 1

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall       Sunday May 3

Glasgow O2 ABC                              Wednesday May 6

London Barbican                              Friday May 8

Leeds Academy                                Saturday May 9

Cambridge Corn Exchange           Monday May 11

Nottingham Rock City                    Wednesday May 13

You can expect to find me at the UK date for sure, I've seen her twice already too! Thank you very much for reading and until next time. 

Lewis 

Beth Hart Website

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Single Of The Week ~ Joanne Shaw Taylor ~ Mud Honey

Hello and welcome to the new segment on my blog called "Single Of The Week". Where every Friday if a song has caught my eye (and it may not be every week) then I'll be writing about it. Doesn't have to be new, its just something I've been really getting into the past week.

Lets get started with the first single of the week that comes from a blues/rock guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor and her single called "Mud Honey" from the new album "The Dirty Truth". She has been rising up through the blues scene since her debut album 'White Sugar' 5 years ago. 

The British blues guitarist's playing has caught the eye of many music giants such as Joe Bonamassa and Stevie Wonder as an impressive feat for an established musician. She has now become the forefront female guitarist in blues, her powerful solo's and grungy rhythm sections are some of the notable things you can find in her playing. The main melody for my single of the week is nice and catchy, but not pop catchy. Just a guitar blues riff that supports the rest of the song and that's how it should be.

Joanne's voice is really captured in this single, husky, yet with a real blues spirit. Its certainly not your average voice from a female vocalist, but this isn't a bad thing. The song has a real energy and vibe throughout the song, Taylor's clear cut guitar solo's are at the forefront of the song. She doesn't hold back incase she makes a mistake, taking a risk in something she does best. 

Check out her new album "The Dirty Truth" and if you like her sound she is also playing live in the UK this November! Here are the dates in a lovely picture form!

I will have a live review of the gig at the Shephards Bush Hall very soon! I hope you can all make it to one of her gigs. 

Thanks for reading and until next time. 

Lewis 

Website: www.joanneshawtaylor.com/

My Favourite Artists - Beth Hart

Hello!

Apologies for being away for so long, my music uni has bombarded me with too many assignments! Although now they're all done, I can finally focus on this blog, which is a great thought so watch out for some more posts being uploaded!

Onto chapter 2 of the 'My Favourite Artists' series:

Today I'm going to be talking about a woman called Beth Hart, a blues/soul singer from Los  Angeles California. This girl knows how to belt a note out, but with such style and grace, its beautiful to watch. I have been lucky enough to see her twice live, once at The Roundhouse in Camden. This was definitely one of my favourite gigs to look back on and there are reasons which I will get to later on so stick around!

Firstly, I'd like to tell you a little bit about her back story as it is definitely one hell of a rollercoaster. Beth Hart had a promising career ahead of her in 1999 with a major label signing, a number 1 hit in New Zealand and a new album out called 'Screamin' For My Supper'. Thing were really looking up for her career, fame and fortune were only a hairs-breath away. 

Unfortunately, this ever increasing fame got to her mind and she started to turn heavily to drink and drugs. These habits were getting worse by the day due to the amount of stress she was put under by her label and the demand from her. In the end Atlanta kicked her off the label and she was barely left with anything to her name. Her tour manager Scott Guetzkow took her to five hospitals (not including rehabs) to try get her back into a fit state. 


When Beth finally came around and saw what she had lost, she was ready for redemption and fight back for her love of music. She started this off with marrying Scott in Vegas and she went on to release a new album in 2003. Her reputation in the business has sky rocketed since her rehabilitation and because she got into the situation of being at the very rock bottom. She never wants to go back there, so she always put 110% into every gig she does and she is ever so thankful for everyone giving her a second chance. 

Her voice is a very beautiful blend of a calm peaceful tone, to the very scratchy and bellowing highs which make her voice very...very unique. In her voice you can hear and tell there is heartbreak, torture and sorrow, but she uses this to her advantage to come out with one of the best voices I know today. Along with her incredibly talented band, this makes up one of the best shows around. 

She has collaborated with a lot of musicians from Joe Bonamassa  to Jeff Buckley and Buddy Guy. Her career has seen her become more popular than ever before with the blues scene creeping its way back into the more popular side of the business. I believe if it wasn't for Joe Bonamassa making an album with her, she wouldn't be where she is today. 

The album 'Don't Explain' is the perfect selection of songs to really understand the connection that both Hart and Bonamassa have. This album really looks at the limits that Hart can take her voice to. Sometimes its indescribable how she even manages to create the notes she does.The songs on this album that really shine for Hart are 'I'd Rather Go Blind', 'For My Friend", "I'll Take Care You Of You" and "Your Heart Is as Black as Night".

Another album they released recently was called "Seesaw". Another fantastic soul album by the two of them that has become an instant classic. With the likes of "Miss Lady", "Them There Eyes" and "Strange Fruit". 

Beth live is a very captivating and intense musician. She will let you know what she is feeling before a song, tell you a story, let you all into a secret about her life. She is very open about her feelings towards a song, she wants everyone to know why she wrote the song so you can understand her feelings. Her piano talent is outstanding, I never knew until I saw her at The Roundhouse how good she was on keys. She managed to play us a solo piece by herself with her singing a song about her sister. A lot of her songs are very moving, very personal that everyone in the room connects to.

The other musicians that are currently on tour with her are:

Jon Nichols - Guitar
PJ Barth - Guitar
Bob Marinelli - Bass
Bill Ransom - Drums

The drummer had been changed from the first time I saw Beth live in 2012 in London. Bill Ransom is a very different drummer to the last one I saw. He has a very powerful hand to himself, but is one hell of an entertainer. I really love watching drummers that have a lot to give and show it off. He even did a trick where he stopped the music halfway through, bounced his stick from his snare up high into the air and caught it to restart the music. That, was one of the coolest things ive seen live done by a drummer.

Her live shows are definitely one to see, energetic, entertaining and you always go away with a smile! I would urge all of you to at least check out her latest album 'Bang Bang Boom Boom'. I believe Beth Hart should be further in her career than where she is, but she is currently having the time of her life with all the touring she is doing. As well as Scott always being there for her for each and every gig because he's the tour manager still.

I hope this has shed some light on what you can expect from this beautifully brilliant blues/soul singer. She is one to watch for the future even at her young age of 42, she is still out there fighting for a place up with the big time. She always will be fighting to repay what she had failed to do in her earlier career.

Thanks for reading and until next time

Lewis :)

Website: http://bethhart.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbethhart
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BethHart

Rock Candy Funk Party - We Want Grooove

Hello!

Just a quick message to say thank you for the recent support for the blog! Its been great to see so many people reading and the fact its nearing 400 views is awesome! So thank you and continue to support this blog! :)

Onwards! (On a side note, have spelt the album title right has 3 O's in it for some reason?)

Let me start off with the fact this whole album is completely instrumental and features some of my favourite musicians on it, including my drumming inspiration Tal Bergman. The other musicians included in this are Joe Bonamassa (who Tal plays drums for), Ron DeJesus, Mike Merritt and Renato Nato. These 5 men are out to rekindle peoples love for 70's/80's funk and its fair of me to say they did a splendid job. 

With Tal the front man of this band and the producer, he had the pleasure of choosing these world renown players to join forces and create this album purely for the fun and love of making music. Each bringing their own stylistic blends of genre's together to create a tribute to old school funk. 

The initial reaction from critics and fans alike was "with it being all instrumental, would it be entertaining enough?" This was something I certainly thought about, but all was put to shame when the album was released. There is not a single second on this album that can lead you to boredom. The structure of these songs has been so well thought out that as soon as you have got to grips with one part of the song, they have already moved on to the next section. 

Although there is some repetitiveness in the songs, there is always a flare of musicianship that gives the song an extra spice to keep you entertained. Or a good guitar solo.

Each song on this album features some crazy drumming from Tal. Its all about his feel, timing and stupidly tight fills within the songs that just make it that more enjoyable for me to listen to! I'll leave you some videos at the end of Rock Candy Funk Party's work and another example of Tal's incredible drumming when gigging with Joe Bonamassa. 

With this in mind there are a few songs on the record that everyone should have a listen to. If you fancy up-tempo funk then "Spaztastic" is for you. If you want some funk to just sit and listen to "Ode to Gee", "Root Down" and "Dope On a Rope" are great tracks for you. Drummers...well there's no song better than "Animal/Work" for Tal to really shine on. I've had this album since it came out in January 2013 and I still find his drumming mind blowing. Last but not least for my recommended tracks to you. If you want something to chill out to or you've had a stressful day, then "The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life" will sort that problem out in...well... 10 minutes! 

I hope you all enjoyed this blog, this is a bit different to some of the other blogs, but I hope you'll all go and listen to some great funk! 

Until next time!

Lewis :)

"Spaztastic"

"Young Man Blues" - Joe Bonamassa (Example of Tal's drumming)

Website: http://rockcandyfunkparty.com/

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