With such an impressive (some might say flawless), run of albums behind him, Joe Bonamassa could be forgiven for resting on his laurels. However, those who have followed this talented guitarist over the years will know that such an action is simply not in his nature. An artist who has increasingly come to the fore as the guardian of the blues, Joe Bonamassa walks it like he talks it, holding an annual blues cruise (at which he frequently showcases and jams with up-and-coming artists), and launching his own label to further ensure that young artists have the opportunity to be heard in a climate that has otherwise become increasingly hostile to anything beyond the established. That Joe somehow has time to cram all this in (and much more), and still release albums is something of a minor miracle, not to mention a major testament to a staunch work ethic, combined with a vibrant passion for his genre.
Returning with his sixteenth solo album, Joe Bonamassa harks back to his third effort, 2003’s well-received Blues Deluxe with a long-awaited sequel that celebrates its twentieth anniversary. Like its forebear, it’s predominantly a covers album and features ten tracks, just two of which are originals: Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again) – written by Joe and veteran producer Tom Hambridge; and Is It Safe To Go Home – written by long-time Joe collaborator Josh Smith. With Josh once more on production duties, and a crack band comprising Josh, as well as Kirk Fletcher on guitar, Reese Wynans on keys, Calvin Turner on bass, and Lamar Carter on drums, Joe turns in a brilliantly breezy performance on a selection of covers that pay tribute to the original artists, while putting his own spin on things.
The album starts brilliantly, with the horn-soaked Twenty-Four Hour Blues (Bobby Blue Bland), which sees Joe and his band tackle the track with a hint of Gov’t Mule grit, albeit sweetened with sweeping, John Barry-esque strings. It’s an opulent opener and the track perfectly suits Joe’s approach, a restrained solo easing the listener into the record. Next up, the funky strut of Bobby Parker’s It’s Hard But It’s Fair has a wonderful Stax soul vibe that is purely irresistible. From the blazing brass to the ripping leads, it’s one of those tracks that you just know is going to be a gem on stage, and it leaves you with a huge grin spread across your face. Lamar leads the way into the slinky Well I Done Got Over It, a Guitar Slim track with a Henry Mancini vibe, and an early album highlight. With its driving rhythm and the gleaming horns once more front and centre, it’s a chance for Joe to shine behind the mic, which is appreciated because, for all that he’s an exquisite guitar player (as the proceeds to demonstrate), his vocals don’t get nearly the attention they deserve. With Joe and his band clearly having a whole heap of fun, the bright and breezy I Want To Shout About It (Ronnie Earle & The Broadcasters), saunters onto the stage in a whirlwind of speakeasy rhythm and blues joie-de-vivre, further lifted by a sparkling solo from Reese Wynans, kicking off a chain reaction that sees guitar and horns also take a turn in the spotlight. The album’s first half concludes with the slow blues of Win-O (Pee Wee Crayton), a haunted, late-night track with rippling keys and the scent of fresh tobacco smoke drifting through the mix. It’s a track to kick back to, the lights dimmed low and an easy bourbon in your hand, and it provides a fitting counterpoint to the otherwise vivacious tracks that open the album.
The first of two original compositions, Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again) opens the second half. Written by Joe in conjunction with veteran producer Tom Hambridge, it’s an absolute killer, neatly slotting in among the covers and sounding wonderfully fresh and inspired. With everything from the backing vocals to the thudding bass showing a deep appreciation of soul-infused blues, it’s a timeless tune with modern production and an infectious sense of mischief. That sense carries over into a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Lazy Poker Blues so lively, it’s a physical impossibility not to tap along to the insistent beat. Joe, meanwhile, loses himself as he trades white hot leads with Reese.
The pace slows on You Sure Drive A Hard Bargain, a mid-paced Albert King number delivered with style and substance. Then there’s the all-star blowout of Kenny Neal’s The Truth Hurts, which features the twin talents of Kirk Fletcher and Josh Smith, both of whom waste little time in showcasing their own impressive abilities. It says much of Joe’s lack of ego that he’s content to share the spotlight, and if there’s any criticism to be made, it’s that it’s too damn short. The album concludes with another original, this time written by Josh Smith. A smooth finale, awash with strings, Is It Safe To Go Home is a poignant conclusion that builds and builds, Josh deftly guiding Joe through his labyrinthine arrangement, allowing him to focus on doing what he does best – resulting in one of the album’s most heartfelt solos. It’s a brilliant curtain call and it leaves you wanting to play the album all over again.
I’ve long subscribed to the view that the blues, no matter how dark the lyrics may get, are primarily about bringing forth the light from darkness and, if that is the case, then Blues Deluxe 2 is a perfect case in point. There’s joy in this album, even when the lyrics speak to heartbreak, and Josh Smith has done a fantastic job of coaxing a performance out of the band so vivacious, it feels like they’re right there in the room with you. There’s nothing affected here or out of place, just a genuine love for the blues emanating from a group of master musicians having the time of their lives in one another’s company. It’s a joyful, life-affirming record, and another essential addition to a catalogue that continues to inspire and delight. 10/10
Joe Bonamassa Celebrates “Blues Deluxe Vol. 2” Album With Original Track “Is It Safe To Go Home”
Today, the 26x Billboard chart-topper Joe Bonamassa has released Blues Deluxe Vol. 2, his new studio album, out today via his own J&R Adventures. In celebration of this landmark release, which marks 20 years since his first independent album, Bonamassa has unveiled the project’s latest single “Is It Safe To Go Home,” a standout from the album, crafted by producer Josh Smith. “I wrote ‘Is It Safe To Go Home’ specifically for this project and for Joe,” Smith recalls. “I can’t believe what he did with it. The vocal and solo are some of his best work (in fact, he hits the highest vocal note he ever has on record), and it’s just an absolutely epic performance and arrangement.”
Watch the official music video for “Is It Safe To Go Home” HERE.
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 revisits and pays homage to Bonamassa’s musical roots, offering listeners fresh takes on classic blues tracks that have shaped his journey. The album boasts two new originals and eight covers, honouring legendary names in blues, from Bobby “Blue” Bland to Albert King. Both Vol. 2 and Blues Deluxe Remastered are available on 180 Gram vinyl, with the former as a gorgeous translucent blue colour for collectors.
Reflecting on his growth as a musician, Bonamassa says, “Part of my approach to these new recordings was that I wanted to see if I had matured musically over the years, and if I had gotten better as a player. I’m happy to say that I am a much better singer than I was 20 years ago – though I still don’t really consider myself to be a legit ‘singer,’ I can now carry a tune a little better than I could back then.”
Among the album’s treasures is “Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again),” another original collaboration between Bonamassa and Tom Hambridge. “This is a song that I wrote with Tom Hambridge, and we did a real Tower Of Power treatment on it,” Bonamassa recalls. “Twenty-Four Hour Blues,” a fiery reinterpretation of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s iconic track from the Dreamer album, boasts one of Bonamassa’s most potent vocal and guitar performances to date, while “Well, I Done Got Over It” pays tribute to Guitar Slim’s 1953 release, and “Lazy Poker Blues” rejuvenates the classic song originally performed by Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.
Featuring Reese Wynans (keys), Calvin Turner (bass), Lamar Carter (drums), Kirk Fletcher (guitar), and Josh Smith (guitar), additional highlights from Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 include “I Want To Shout About It,” originally performed by Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and “It’s Hard But It’s Fair” by Bobby Parker. “I knew I wanted to push him really hard vocally,” Smith adds. “I’d heard him sing things just messing around or when we’d be producing for other artists that I’d never heard him do on record. So the songs were both chosen and written with that in mind. If you listen to the vocals on “Twenty-Four Hour Blues” and “Is It Safe To Go Home,” you’ll hear Joe really going for it.”
Following an extensive summer run that included his debut appearance at the Hollywood Bowl, which was recorded for his next live concert film, the hardest working bluesman in show business will begin his U.S. Fall Tour on October 23rd at The Cannon Center in Memphis, TN, before crisscrossing the country and capping the year at the guitar-shaped Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL on December 2nd.
Bonamassa’s spring 2024 tour will include performances in historic venues like the Count Basie Center For The Arts in Red Bank, NJ on February 23rd and the Saenger Theatre in Pensacola, FL on March 7th, before culminating with the sold out Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea IX, set for March 18-24, departing from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico. The festival line-up includes Grace Potter, The Marshall Tucker Band, John Oates, Jimmy Vivino, King King, and a special performance by Black Country Communion, Bonamassa’s supergroup with Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH), Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) and Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL). KTBA at Sea is one of the largest fundraisers for Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, aiding in its mission to promote music education by providing grants and resources to schools and musicians in need.
Cited by Guitar World as “arguably the world’s biggest blues guitarist,” Bonamassa is known for taking risks and venturing into uncharted territory throughout his wide-ranging career. His last recent full-length Time Clocks marked his most raw, rocking studio album yet, with American Songwriter sharing, “Bonamassa pushes into fresh territory while staying within a blues-based framework,” and “there is more than enough proof in this sprawling set that Bonamassa doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels or take his star status in the blues-rock genre for granted.”
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 by Joe Bonamassa
1. Twenty-Four Hour Blues (originally performed by Bobby “Blue” Bland)
2. It’s Hard But It’s Fair (originally performed by Bobby Parker)
3. Well, I Done Got Over It (originally performed by Guitar Slim)
4. I Want to Shout About It (originally performed by Ronnie Earle & The Broadcasters)
5. Win-O (originally performed by Pee Wee Crayton)
6. Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again) *original song written by Joe Bonamassa & Tom Hambridge
7. Lazy Poker Blues (originally performed by Fleetwood Mac)
8. You Sure Drive a Hard Bargain (originally performed by Albert King)
9. The Truth Hurts Feat Kirk Fletcher and Josh Smith (originally performed by Kenny Neal)
10. Is It Safe To Go Home *original song written by Josh Smith
Blues Deluxe Remastered by Joe Bonamassa
1. You Upset Me Baby
2. Burning Hell
3. Blues Deluxe
4. Man Of Many Words
5. Woke Up Dreaming
6. I Don’t Live Any Where
7. Wild About You Baby
8. Long Distance Blues
9. Pack It Up
10. Left Overs
11. Walking Blues
12. Mumbling Word
Fall 2023 U.S. Tour
October 23 – Memphis, TN – The Cannon Center
October 25 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
October 27 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
October 28 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Centre At Sugar Land
October 29 – Austin, TX – ACL Live
November 1 – Fayetteville, AR – Walton Arts Center
November 3 – Little Rock, AR – Robinson Performance Hall
November 4 – Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust CU Theatre
November 5 – Oklahoma City, OK – Civic Center Music Hall
November 8 – Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Theater
November 10 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
November 11 – St. Louis, MO – The Fabulous Fox
November 12 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Paramount Theatre
November 14 – Rochester, MN – Mayo Civic Center
November 15 – Rockford, IL – Coronado Performing Arts Center
November 17 – Fort Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre
November 18 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
November 19 – Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre
November 21 – Reading, PA – The Santander Performing Arts Center
November 22 – Providence, RI – Providence Performance Arts Center
November 24 – Springfield, MA – Symphony Hall
November 25 – Baltimore, MD – The Lyric
November 28 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre
November 30 – Sarasota, FL – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
December 1 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena
December 2 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
Spring 2024 U.S. Tour
February 19 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace
February 21 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
February 23 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Center For The Arts
February 24 – Oxon Hill, MD – The Theater at MGM National Harbor
February 25 – Durham, NC – DPAC
February 27 – Columbia, SC – Township Auditorium
February 29 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Sandler Center
March 1 – Roanoke, VA – Berglund Center
March 2 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
March 4 – Richmond, VA – Altria Theater
March 5 – Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium
March 7 – Pensacola, FL – Saenger Theatre
March 8 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage
March 9 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage
March 11 – Huntsville, AL – VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
March 12 – Greenville, SC – Peace Center
March 14 – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium
March 15 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center
March 16 – Clearwater, FL – The Sound
March 18-24 – Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea IX – Miami, FL to Cozumel, Mexico
April 2024 UK Concerts
April 4 – London, The Royal Albert Hall
April 5 – London, The Royal Albert Hall
ABOUT JOE BONAMASSA
Blues-rock superstar Joe Bonamassa is one of the most celebrated performing musicians of today. As a three-time GRAMMY-nominated artist and 13x Blues Music Award Nominee (4 wins), he achieved his 26th No. 1 album on the Billboard Blues Chart with Tales Of Time, a sprawling and expansive live concert film and album, shot at the breathtaking Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in August 2022. Only in his mid-40s, Bonamassa has become a living legend with an astounding multi-genre catalog. He has released more than 40 albums, including studio and live recordings, as well as collaborative albums with his adventurous side projects: Black Country Communion and Rock Candy Funk Party.
A prolific writer who is always on the hunt to expand his eclectic musical horizons, Bonamassa has a limitless work ethic whether it’s in a studio, on the road, or working with other artists to spur new music. In recent years, he has produced an immense number of albums including Joanne Shaw Taylor, Marc Broussard, Larry McCray, Jimmy Hall and others for his independent label KTBA Records, and has also recently launched Journeyman LLC, a full-service artist management, record label, concert promotion, and marketing company that builds awareness for independent artists worldwide. Recent producing highlights include ‘Crown’ by the blues legend Eric Gales, which was nominated for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards.
Bonamassa has been featured in several publications from Esquire, WSJ, and Parade to Rolling Stone and American Songwriter, as well as on the covers of Guitar World, Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, Guitarist, and Classic Rock Magazine. His non-profit Keeping The Blues Alive provides funds and resources to schools and artists in need and has positively impacted more than 91k students to date while raising over 2 million in donations.
