It’s been two years since Blues Deluxe Vol II, Joe Bonamassa’s sixteenth studio album. Primarily comprising covers, although the two original tracks (Hope You Realize It and Is It Safe To Go Home) kept the home fires burning, it focused on Joe’s enduring passion for the blues in all its myriad forms and it earned a 10/10 review here at SonicAbuse.
Where that album largely looked to the past, newly announced album Breakthrough is liable to see Joe take another quantum leap forward, delivering an album of original cuts that showcase the diversity of his influences. With long-time producer Kevin Shirley already talking the album up a storm, Joe has unleashed the title track as a teaser and, if it’s any indication of the quality within, the album looks set to be another blistering example of Joe’s raw talent… although how he finds the time to get into the studio remains something of a mystery.
Co-written with the legendary Tom Hambridge (who also lent a hand on the likes of Hope You Realize It and the devastating Mountain Climbing), Breakthrough is a massive, swaggering riff-fest with a chain-gang swing, funky underpinnings, and a redemptive lyric that highlights Joe’s indomitable spirit as he navigates betrayal to emerge stronger on the other side. One of Joe’s hardest hitting singles, it’s got the sort of vintage ZZ Top vibe that evokes images of Joe, smirking behind his 1958 Flying V, as the band cut loose behind him. If that hasn’t already got you racing to play the track, then you can rest assured that, taking things firmly over the top, is a flaming, wah-soaked guitar solo that drives the final chorus to new heights.
What more is there to say? Joe is back, he’s ready to rock, and Breakthrough is just the start.
