Welcome to BluesRow

Blues fans can be roughly divided into two groups: those who loves blues-rock, and those who don’t. If you’re in the second group, steer clear of this album. But if you’re in the first, get this album.

Joe Bonamassa is a blues-rock guitarist with chops to burn. He’s famous for being the ex-wunderkind who played with BB King when he was 12, played with the children of Miles Davis and Robby Kreiger later in his teens, and now serves up a relentless brand of guitar-based blues-rock. From all accounts, he is happy to play medium-sized venues and has no plans for rock guitar world domination. He also sincerely pays tribute to the blues greats and works to turn on the next generation to the blues. But he’s not letting that keep him in a box. As he says in the liner notes, “There is much discussion these days on what is or is not blues; so much so, many albums suffer from an almost apologetic sound. In an era where it is best to play it safe, I chose to take a risk as a reminder to all that the boundaries are still wide open and there are no rules.”

So if you know that ahead of time, you’ll be ready for this album. Joe describes it best when he says, “We concentrated on heavy music in a blues style.” Heavy music? I haven’t heard that term for a while. What’s it mean? Probably different things to different people, but knowing Jason Bonham (son of late Led Zeppelin guitarist John Bonham) plays drums on this CD will help you figure it out.

The album has a nice mix of all kinds of styles, including two slow blues featuring Joe’s guitar pyrotechnics, gritty vocals, and even strings (could have done without them, I think). There’s some acoustic Delta style blues, traditional blues, even a Sonny Boy Williamson song (Your Funeral, My Trial), which introduces a blues harp 12-year-old phenom named LD Miller. Maybe Joe believes in karma and is thinking of how he got his start due to the generosity of BB King. Anyway, this kid can really play the harp. Looking forward to hearing more of him!

There’s even an old Zep tune, Tea for One, featuring Doug Henthorn of the Healing Sixes. It’s languid, trippy, and definitely Page/Plant-worthy.

And for those guitar geeks, Joe lists his vintage guitars and amps used on the CD. A big list!

In conclusion, if you like your blues served up guitar-god style but with a healthy respect for the blues masters, you will love this album.

Flatted Fifths: 4.5 out of 5

Genre: Blues-rock

Nutshell Review: Breathing new life into the Page/Clapton blues genre.