Introduction
On his upcoming album ‘Blues Deluxe Vol. 2,’ superstar Joe Bonamassa is returning to his roots and taking stock of how far he and the genre have come, giving new life to the classic tracks that have that brought him to the Blues. Today, Bonamassa is sharing the latest taste of the album; a rambunctious rendition of “Well, I Done Got Over It,” originally released by Guitar Slim in 1953. ‘Blues Deluxe Vol. 2’ comes twenty years since the release of Bonamassa’s best-selling album ‘Blues Deluxe,’ which celebrated what the US government had declared “the year of the blues.”
Review
It really does feel, with each release, as if Joe is moving closer to capturing the elusive, and remarkably warm sound he has on stage. With his latest cover, a sparkling take on Guitar Slim’s Well, I Done Got Over It, it takes just the first few notes to evoke some long lost speakeasy, where the guests mingle in sparkling outfits and the band sweat on a too-small stage in the corner. It’s got swing, it’s got soul and, most importantly, you can’t hear it without hearing Joe’s boyish enthusiasm for the genre bubbling over once more. If Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 is all to this standard, Joe’s got yet another masterpiece on his hands…
Out October 6th via J&R Adventures, the album features two new originals and eight new covers spanning some of the most important names in the blues – from Bobby “Blue” Bland and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac to Albert King. Also available for pre-order is the Platinum Edition Box Set (limited to 500 units worldwide) which includes the CD and Vinyl versions for both Vol. 2 and Blues Deluxe Remastered along with exclusive items.
Pre-order the album from North America at https://joeb.me/BluesDeluxeVol2.
Pre-order the album from the UK and Europe at https://lnk.to/joebonamassa.
“My father introduced me to Guitar Slim a long time ago, back when I was a kid. There was a compilation album called ‘Best of Guitar Slim’ and it was him on the cover and he was cradling one of these Gold Top Les Pauls and I was a fan ever since. He has such a velvety smooth voice, and he had such a way of delivering a song. We did a very British take on this Guitar Slim song, it’s like the Blues Breakers meets Guitar Slim meets Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith and company,” Bonamassa reflects.
“If you had told me 20 years ago my career would last long enough to see the 20th anniversary of this little record called ‘Blues Deluxe,’ I’m sure I would have laughed,” Bonamassa explains. “Blues Deluxe was my last shot after being dropped by two major record labels and my booking agent. It was then that my manager, Roy Weisman, had his first ‘all in’ moment. We would go back into the studio and record. A record that would hopefully define the direction of whatever future career I might have.”
“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,” Bonamassa says. “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.”
The release of “Well, I Done Got Over It” follows the album’s previous single “Twenty-Four
Hour Blues,” a blistering reinterpretation of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s classic track, featured on one of Bonamassa’s favorite albums of all time, Dreamer. The new version features one of Bonamassa’s best-ever vocals and guitar solos.
“The outro guitar solo is incredible,” Smith comments. “It happened live on the floor and has some deep lines you’ve probably never heard Joe play before. The band is absolutely smoking, and Calvin Turner did an incredible String and Horn arrangement. Super proud of this one.”
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, “It’s Hard But It’s Fair” by Bobby Parker, and “Is It Safe To Go Home,” a new track written for Joe by Josh Smith.
“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.”
Having just earned a remarkable 26th #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart for his sprawling and extensive live concert film and album Tales Of Time, Bonamassa’s upcoming 2023 summer run will include a performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, on August 6th – his first appearance at the venue since the recording of Tales Of Time – as well as his debut appearance at Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday, August 9th. The exclusive, one-night-only concert experience alongside an orchestra will be recorded for his next live concert film. Then, 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. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit https://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
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.”
Hailed as “a near spiritual experience” by Classic Rock Magazine and featuring songs from his latest #1 studio album, Time Clocks, Bonamassa’s latest live concert release Tales Of Time, captures a stratospheric performance by the blues-rock titan at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which found his virtuoso guitar style and unique technique and flair elevating the evening to an almost heavenly high. The project was produced by long-time collaborator and producer Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Journey).
“This live show represents our most progressive and largest production to date, focusing on my most ambitious studio album to date,” commented Bonamassa. “My band was a force of nature on this show, and it truly was a special night.” For more information on Tales Of Time, click HERE.
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
Summer 2023 U.S. Tour
August 2 – Vina Robles Amphitheatre – Paso Robles, CA
August 4 – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
August 5 – Eccles Theater – Salt Lake City, UT
August 6 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO
August 9 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA^
August 12 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY**
August 13 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel, NY**
**Keeping the Blues Alive presents: Joe Bonamassa & Friends: Styx and Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles
^Joe Bonamassa with Orchestra
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
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.
