JOE BONAMASSA
EVOLVES AS BLUES-ROCK MUSICIAN WITH NEW ALBUM BLUES OF DESPERATION, OUT MARCH
25
Guitar rock star
redefines blues rock with new studio album
Rotterdam, The Netherlands - January 19,
2016: GRAMMY-nominated
blues-rock guitar icon Joe Bonamassa announces today his brand-new studio solo
album, Blues Of Desperation (Provogue), will be released March 25, 2016.
Like his previous solo disc, 2014’s Top 10 Billboard hit Different Shades of
Blue, this record features all-original material, and it sees the maverick
superstar guitarist, singer and songwriter tossing away the rule book as he
continues to reinvent and redefine the blues-rock genre like no other artist
working today. “I want people to hear my evolution as a blues-rock musician,”
says Bonamassa, “somebody who isn’t resting on accomplishments and who is always
pushing forward and thinking about how music can evolve and stay
relevant.”
The writing sessions for Blues Of Desperation
took Bonamassa back to Nashville, where he’d composed Different Shades of Blue,
to work with some of Music City’s top tunesmiths, people like James House, Tom
Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele, Jerry Flowers and Gary Nicholson. “These are some of
the best guys in the business,” Bonamassa raves. "Lyrically, you’ll hear the
proverbial trains, mountains, valleys and other blues references about
heartbreak and loneliness, but there are also some poignant moments about
getting away from the stressful, crazy demands of life and losing yourself with
your special someone. I think anybody will be able to relate.”
Bonamassa and his longtime producer Kevin Shirley (Led
Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Journey) convened at Nashville’s Grand Victor Sound
Studios (formerly known as RCA Studio A), and during an intense, five-day period
they recorded 11 galvanizing songs with a crack group of musicians including
drummers Anton Fig and Greg Morrow, bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese
Wynans, horn players Lee Thornburg, Paulie Cerra and Mark Douthit, and
background singers Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae and Juanita
Tippins.
Of his decade-long collaboration with Shirley, Bonamassa
says, “I can explain our relationship with one word – ‘trust.’ I completely
trust in Kevin and his musically promptings. He pushes my musical ability by
challenging me to not just rest on my laurels or settle for ‘good.’ He expects
more out of the other musicians as well and will not hold back when he sees us
falling back into our usual routine.”
“Which sometimes calls for unorthodox measures”, says
Shirley, who admits that his idea of augmenting Bonamassa’s usual recording band
with second drummer Morrow was engineered to “ruffle Joe’s feathers.” “I wanted
him to work a little harder, like in his early years,” he says, “so I brought in
an additional drummer, just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons.” Of the
results, Shirley raves, “Recording Blues Of Desperation is one of the
most exciting recording projects I've done. What a joyful noise we
made!”
Blues of Desperation is Bonamassa’s most powerfully diverse and boldly
realized album yet, with the material ranging from the gutsy, gritty blues call
to arms of “This Train” (Joe’s guitar is set to “rude” throughout) to the
elegant yet emotionally shattering ballad “What I’ve Known For A Very Long Time”
to the soul-nourishing, acoustic-based Americana of “The Valley Runs Low,” on
which Bonamassa’s voice rises up majestically to meet Barnes, McRae and Tippins
in gospel-like rapture. And then there’s the bleary, tequila-soaked “Drive,”
dripping with the kind of raw, wicked and unsettling sensuality that could make
David Lynch go green with envy.
Throughout the record, Bonamassa’s epic guitar playing
conjures up stirring benedictions and explosive exorcisms of sound. “No Good
Place For The Lonely” features some of the guitarist’s most cauterizing licks
yet, and the walloping title track is a white-knuckled, six-string thrill ride
guaranteed to jolt the senses. Guitar fans everywhere (like those who recently
voted Bonamassa “Best Blues Guitarist” in Guitar World magazine by an
overwhelming margin) will consider Blues of Desperation a treasure trove
of axe richess.
“There are some long solos on this record and even some
mini-jams in the middle of a track where the band would just jive and crank it
out,” he says. “[During those jams], we do a tip of the hat to Beck and Clapton
from the ‘70s. I think guitar nerds and music fans like myself will love it.”
Packed with unparalleled musicianship and teaming with
the most enthralling collection of songs in Bonamassa’s career, Blues Of
Desperation is guaranteed to knock out critics and fans alike. By exceeding
his own vertiginously high artistic goals, Bonamassa is bound to shatter all
other expectations with this record and reach new audiences – no mean feat when
you continue his astonishing track record of hits now includes 15 #1 Billboard
Blues Albums (more than any other artist in history). 2014’s Different Shades of
Blue debuted at #8 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, making it his highest charting
album, his first top 10 and accounting for his biggest sales week ever. In 2014,
the guitarist received his first-ever Grammy nomination (for Best Blues Album)
for the album Seesaw, his second collaboration with blues singing star Beth
Hart, and was named 2014’s Billboard Blues Artist of the
Year.
EPK:
No comments:
Post a Comment