JoeBonamassa
Mascot/Provogue
AnotherCDfromJoeBonamassa? Indeed!Butwhat’ssoamazingis thathemaintainssuchahighlevel ofperformanceandmaterial. Followinghislaststudioalbum, 2012’sDrivingTowardsThe Daylight,thisfeatures11new tracksallwrittenbyJoe.“Iwantedtomakeacompletelyoriginal bluesalbum,”hedeclares,andthisismostcertainlythat!It’s experimentalandinspirational,fullofsurprisesandincrediblytight (checkoutLoveAin’tALoveSong).Nowthatcansometimesmeana lossoffeel,butthat’scertainlynotthecasehereasHeartache FollowsWhereverIGodemonstratesratherwell.Theregulartriois here,plusseveralothermusiciansinvolved,butit’snosurprisethat KevinShirleycontinuestoproduceasBonamassaandShirleyare suchagreatteam.Joeissingingandplayingbetterthaneverand thematerialisnothingshortofsensational,soifyou’veyettopick uponthislegendaryguitarplayerwholovesBritishblues,thenthis isafantasticplacetostart.Impossibletofault,thisisamustbuy! guitarandJonLord’skeyboardswas alreadyinmotionandthatwasone aspectthatstayeduntiltheendofthe band.Thisboxedsetpresentsmono andstereoversionsofShadesOfDeep PurpleandTheBookOfTaliesyn, alternativemixes,remixes,singlesand outtakesandassuchisamustfor devotees.Theyweretakingrockintoa newareasbackthen,evenbordering onprogatthistime,althoughthat pathwasabandonedwiththe personnelchanges.Stillsoundsfresh today,sowellworthcheckingout. andthesongwritinghasneverbeen better.Thealbumopenswiththesolid andriffyGottaLoveTheRide,arocker that’stightandforcefulandallows PaulGilberttheperfectplatformfora soaringsolo.Yes,theboysareback andfiringonallfourcylinders!Eric Martinhasalwayshadthevoiceto frontthispowerfultrioandhe’slost noneofhisedge.Thisisabrilliant albumfromsomeofthebest hard-rockplayersthathaveeverbeen. BillySheehanonbassanddrummer PatTorpeyareaformidablerhythm section,andinspiteofBilly’sbass chops,heavoidsover-playing,thus allowingthetrackstobreathe.Lotsof variationintempoandfeelhereand nopadding,butwelovePaul’sguitar onEast/West,theharmonicsectionof TheLightOfDayandthegentlerpace ofJustLetYourHeartDecide.Their fanswillloveitandit’sagreatplaceto startifyou’renewtoMrBig. momentstothearrangements,and thatworksparticularlywellonAngels (nottheRobbieWilliamstrack)which buildsfantasticallyasitprogresses;to alesserdegree,thesamegoesfor FieldsOfFray.There’sgreatuseofdual guitarworkfromDannyBeardmore andDanStockdale,allsupportedby theconsistentlyforcefuldrummingof PaulFernandez.It’samightypowerful outfit.Earlierintheyeartheyhada singlerelease,BringTheFuel;that’s included,andit’sagoodintroduction totheband.Overthewholealbum there’slittlerelieffromthemusical onslaught,yettheconstantqualityof materialwillkeepyoucomingback formore.Welikethisalot! Counterclockwise,too!Although we’veonlyjustgotthisit’sbeenout forawhile,butisdefinitelyworthyof areview.SideEffects(they’verecently shortenedtheirname)areatight power-rocktrio,butwheretheyscore overmanyotherbandsinthisgenreis intheirmelodicandwell-constructed songs.VocalsareexcellentandIvan tearseveryounceofemotionoutof hisguitarduringhissolos.Thishas biggerproductionvaluesthanthe earliermaterial,andtheorchestral arrangementofEclipseaddsreal gravitas.GildedCageoffersalittle acousticrelieffromtheheavier proceedingstoo.Checkoutthe instrumentalTimeTravelonYouTube foratasterofthealbum.