Album Review ~ Joe Bonamassa ~ Different Shades Of Blue

Hello, 

Welcome to blog post 34! Today I will be looking at the blues/rock giant that is Joe Bonamassa and his brand new album 'Different Shades Of Blue'. If anyone knows me personally, I am a huge Bonamassa fan of all his work and his side projects with the likes of Beth Hart and Rock Candy Funk Party (see link below for both reviews on this blog).

The main band for this album is:

Joe Bonamassa - Vocals/Guitar
Carmine Rojas - Bass
Resse Wynans - Keys
Anton Fig - Drums 

The album came out on the 22nd September and has had a range of raving reviews about the record. This has got me massively excited, especially when he was on the Paul Jones show last week on BBC Radio 2 and mentioned that all the songs were originals. In previous records, Joe has done mostly originals, but always put in 2 or 3 covers. This album is all originals which he has never done before and to me seemed a risky move to take, but seems to have paid off. 

There was a lot of speculation around the album as to whether it would be another hit album following the likes of "Driving Towards The Daylight", "Blues Deluxe" and "Had To Cry Today". One reason for this is because he teamed up with writers from Nashville who write hit songs for country singers instead of blues singers.

This didn't seem like the perfect combination, but from the interview with Paul Jones, Joe explained that it was a breath of fresh air for them. The writers had freedom because Joe didn't know what to write. Whereas the writers were used to artists coming in saying "write me a hit"! Although I wouldn't of assumed his producer (who Joe has worked with since his early albums) would let anything slip under his belt that is anything but Joe's sound. 

The beginning of this album is just a short 1 minute and 20 second instrumental to get everyone in the mood for what's to come. The song "Oh Beautiful" reminds me of Led Zeppelin's Black Dog, but obviously a lot more atmospheric and bluesy. Its very different to a lot of things he has done before, in a good way. In the interview with Paul Jones he mentions that the solo in the song was all one take with no edits, very impressive. 

A small handful of the songs on the album aren't exactly what you would call blues/rock, but still have a great sound. Though when you hear songs such as "I Gave Everything Up For You, 'Cept The Blues", that's when you know Joe in his comfort zone. Songs like this stand out from the crowd, easily. Any blues singer would naturally be comfortable with the shuffle groove or 6/8 time signature for that matter.

Songs like "Get My Back Tomorrow", "Never Give All Your Heart" and "Oh Beautiful" are real blues/rock chord based songs, perfect for his live shows which are all about the power. Where as the song "So, What Should I Do" seems a lot more personal and emotional to him and the listener.

The horns are a fantastic edition to the album, they add a new dynamic to Joe's overall sound and just makes the record become bigger and better. The album demonstrates how mature Joe's singing and guitar playing has become since his last album. Its a lot cleaner and easier to hear what he is singing about, but with the same tonalities he posses that make him 'Joe Bonamassa'. Though still with a rifling roar from his solo's on quite a few of the tracks, which most people wanted to hear (including myself).

Overall, this album is worth checking out if you're an fan like myself or want an introduction to his work. Joe's sound has improved over the years, obviously you can't get away from the classics, but there are some in the making on this album. I wouldn't say its his best work, but its a great album none the less with guitar solo's, shuffles and real blues beating throughout.

Different Shades Of Blue is out now and from all good record stores and Itunes etc. If you have the album then let me know what you thought of it! 

Thank you for reading and until next time

Lewis

Rock Candy Funk Party Review - http://justanothermuso.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/rock-candy-funk-party-we-want-grooove.html

Beth Hart Review - http://justanothermuso.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/my-favourite-artists-beth-hart.html


Website: http://jbonamassa.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeBonamassa

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JBonamassa

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/JoeBonamassaTV

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/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rockcandyfunk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rockcandyfunk

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RockCandyFunkParty