CD Review - Joe Bonamassa Driving towards the Daylight

I bought this as soon as it was out pretty much with one listen on Spotify confirming it was another good Joe Bonamassa album.  I now have to change that opinion - this is a great Joe Bonamassa album!  Mr Prolific seems able to bang out album after album as well as his collaborations with others and of course being one quarter of Black Country Communion - who themselves have banged out 2 impressive albums in as many years.

He intended to get that old 1960s/70s blues/rock sound.  He certainly has achieved that, at times it is as close as I've ever heard to the original "Beano" album sound the Clapton inspired the world with from his Marshall amp and Les Paul Standard.  Reading through the sleeve notes the guitars used are unbelievable... '52 Tele, '50s strat, two '59 Les Pauls (each of those will be worth over $250,000 no doubt) a '60 Les Paul with bigsby, '60s ES 335... etc. etc.  Holy Cow!   Now normally I'd think - yeah but does it matter.  On the evidence of the tone here you have to think that maybe it does.  So this album is more straight ahead in instrumentation than say Black Rock was, the mix of originals and covers hints at his desire to get back to basics - the Robert Johnson Stones in My Passway is a stunning example.  No doubt his out and out rockier leanings have been dealt with on the BCC2 and this is a fantastic collection.  From Led Zep, The Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac, ZZTop etc. all those great bands and tones are here in spirit and in the sound that envelopes you.

Highlights - and frankly that is difficult all these tracks would be standouts on anybody else's record - Driving towards the Daylight, Heavenly Soul and Stones in my Passway.

If you want to make your life better simply buy this album and reveal in a master of the guitar at the very very top of his game.

Comments

  1. I will definitely be checking this out! When I first saw him I did not like him. The next time I saw him it just hit me and I was like, "What are you stupid? This guy rules!"

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  2. Yes, maybe, but can he sing "When I'm cleaning windows" in a high and squeaky voice?

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    1. You need to pop over to uke hunt http://ukulelehunt.com/ :-)

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  3. I meant to tell you that I'm glad you posted this review. I've been seeing Bonamassa's name popping up as I have been learning about guitar, but wasn't familiar with his work. I downloaded it after reading your write up and listening to clips, and he's wonderful. And then last night I saw that the public TV station was showing one of his concerts in the UK, so I TiVO'd it. I'm looking forward to watching it. So thanks!

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    1. If that is the Albert Hall one you'll love it - although I was lucky to see him in a packed all standing old dance hall with about 1500 others a couple of years back, you can't be more than 50ft from the stage no matter where you are in that place and he was fantastic that night! :-)

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