If not the most anticipated blues album of the year, Joe Bonamassa’a ‘different shades of blue’ must surely be in the top five (alongside the likes of Danny Bryant, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Walter Trout and The Rides all of whom have released stunning albums this year already). However, as good as the other releases have been, what makes ‘different shades of blue’ so special is that it is the first Bonamassa release ever to feature all original material, a remarkable fact, even when one considers the propensity of blues artists to reinterpret old standards and hidden gems of the genre, given that this is the man’s eleventh album. Joe’s ability to pen stunning tunes is not in doubt – ‘dust bowl’ and ‘driving towards the daylight’ being but two examples of his excellent ability to write hard hitting and memorable tracks – but here, for the first time, he has put himself on the line, writing all eleven tracks and the result is as powerful, as beautifully melodic and as memorable as you could wish for. That Joe has kept faith with Kevin Shirley, a producer who seems to more or less guarantee quality wherever he lays his hand, means that not only is the song-writing skill there, but the necessarily powerful production that gives the album its propulsive vitality making ‘different shades of blue’ one of Bonamassa’s finest records to date, if not the finest.
As we have come to expect from Joe’s recent spate of live albums, ‘different shades of blue’ opens with a short instrumental track, the Hendrix-esque ‘Hey Baby (new sun rising)’ which kicks off with the sound of an overdriven electric guitar and builds to a sweaty climax in all of one minute, before dissolving into the ether so that ‘oh beautiful’ can open with Joe’s voice, swathed in reverb, to lull us into a false sense of security before he and his band unleash a monumental riff that is pure Led Zeppelin. It’s a heavy start to the album, Joe’s guitar growling with the ferocious power that he used to such great effect on Black Country Communion’s ‘2’. With Anton Fig manning the drum stool, the percussion has both power and remarkable subtly (just listen to the tribal beats that undulate under Joe’s stunning solo work) whilst it is a pleasure to report that the wonderful Carmine Rojas is present on bass, laying down his distinctive lines and giving the song an almighty sense of groove as Joe goes off on an extended flight of fret board destroying fancy. This is the sort of song you play your friends saying “dude! You’ve got to hear this!” and it is the perfect choice of opening track for a challenging album that clearly set Joe’s creative juices ablaze. This being Bonamassa, of course, the album isn’t going to stay still for long and next we get the soul-stacked funk of ‘Love ain’t a love song’ which would happily fit on a Robert Cray album with its banks of horns and ecstatic keyboard work (Reese Wynans) never failing to bring a smile to the face. ‘Living on the moon’ is similarly possessed by the wide eyed sense of soul that you’d expect from the Blues Brothers, all parping horns and funky, elastic guitar work coupled with the sort of melody you need turpentine to remove. It showcases just how much fun Joe and his crew had with the recording process and it’s equally a huge amount of fun to listen to.
Heading off on a new tangent, ‘heartache follows wherever I go’ is a chugging blues workout that recalls Joe’s recent work with Beth Heart, the rich horns of Lee Thornburg and Ron Dziubla giving the song a salacious, steamy feel that suggests that the track would be at home scoring the opening scenes to a James Bond movie as it would be lighting up the stage of some down ‘n’ dirty blouse club, whilst Joe’s stunning centrepiece solo is nothing short of electric. In the vein of his undeniably brilliant album ‘dust bowl’, ‘never give all your heart’ is a powerful blast of hard rock blues, with blistering solos, crunchy choruses and a stunning vocal performance that captures perfectly Joe’s ability to make it feel as if he’s right there in the room with you performing for you alone. It’s a brilliant piece of music that reaches for (and attains) the stars, and it is a highlight of this excellent record. Heading into rock ‘n’ roll territory we get ‘I gave up everything for you, ‘cept the blues’ which sounds like Joe’s been possessed by the living spirit of Buddy Guy, which should be recommendation enough for this excellent and inspirational track. If you’re not tapping your feet and smiling like a fool by the end of the track, then surely your soul has already departed your body and you should check to see if the X factor is on, because music this beautifully heart felt should only ever result in complete abandon. The album’s title track slows the pace and proves to be the sort of perfectly phrased and radio friendly blues that you can imagine it going supernova if only it had been released in the 90s rather than today’s rather more vapid climate.
The album’s final trio of songs kicks off with ‘get back my tomorrow’, a chugging blues number complete with fiery solos and a progressive tinge that comes across like a heavier version of David Gilmour-era Floyd. In contrast the rich bass runs and shuffling percussion of Trouble Town is pure soul, huge banks of golden horn combining with Joe’s scratchy lead work and Anton’s idiosyncratic percussion for a track that serves as yet another highlight on an album that has not a single weak moment, but a surfeit of wonderfully heart-felt peaks. The album closes, and far too quickly, with ‘so, what would I do’, a beautiful, restrained, piano-laden piece of blues that is just begging to provide the soundtrack to a rainy-day break up, should you be misfortunate enough to experience one. It’s a beautifully understated close to an album that roams, as the title would suggest, the many guises of the blues and yet, for all that the album explores the rich heritage of the blues, it never feels incoherent or rushed, the record acting almost like the journey of discovery a blues fan goes through when they first start exploring the genre’s many facets.
Joe Bonamassa’s first ever all originals album is a resounding, wonderful triumph. Passionate, powerful and yet with an overwhelming sense of fun, the record captures the larger-than-life presence that Joe brings to the stage and, with his exquisitely tight backing band, Joe sets about charting a journey through the many different elements of the blues, always tethering his approach with that rich soulful voice and some of the finest guitar playing I’ve heard this year. The album passes in the blink of an eye, the result of the wonderful variety on offer and the sheer joy with which each song is dispatched, and depending on your mood, different songs will mark themselves out for special favour with each listen. Joe’s finest album yet? You better believe it.
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