On March
25, hot on the heels of their GRAMMY nomination, force-of-nature blues-rock
vocalist Beth Hart and guitar hero Joe Bonamassa will deliver Beth Hart &
Joe Bonamassa – Live In Amsterdam (2DVD/Blu-ray/2CD) – the very first live
experience from one of music's most powerful female voices and one of the
world's greatest guitar players. Against the backdrop of the beautiful,
historic Koninklijk Theater Carre in Amsterdam, the performance wows with
scorching soul covers from the duo's 2011 debut album Don't Explain and 2013
follow-up Seesaw, originally made famous by artists such as Aretha Franklin,
Etta James, Billie Holiday, Tom Waits, Ray Charles, Donnie Hathaway, Lucinda
Williams, Bill Withers, Delaney & Bonnie, Buddy Miles, Tina Turner, Slackwax,
Melody Gardot, Nina Simone, and more.
This
project was born from what Hart, Bonamassa, and Bonamassa's long-time producer
Kevin Shirley call a "crazy idea" to record a catalog of songs in a
way that recalls the days when a band recorded live in the studio with little
or no overdubs; the days when the vocalist was happy when a take was done
regardless of personal performance.
"What
we're trying to capture is an era of reaction and spontaneity – something that
was a great inspiration for me as a budding musician," explained
Bonamassa. "It's a bygone era in lieu of modern times and digital studio
manipulation. We wanted to do the exact opposite of that for this live concert.
There were no nets and what you hear is what was sung and played that
night."
Both
Hart and Bonamassa were heavily influenced by these songs and the artists who
originally performed them. "We're doing these amazing cover songs and in
doing them, and what's so great about doing them, is that it shows part of what
excited us and made us want to become artists when we were young and just
starting out," said Hart. "You can see that a lot of this was an
influence with me, and Joe, and the other musicians, you can hear it in the way
everyone plays and performs. This was music that they loved, that touched them.
And when you do covers, you get to make them personal. That was part of the
goal – to make it like it's your story too. Otherwise how does it come across
sincere? I think that's one of the challenges and it's very fulfilling if we
feel like we're doing that."
The
one-two punch of Hart's powerhouse vocals and Bonamassa's blistering solos both
honors and reinvents the original recordings. Featuring 22 songs and over two
hours of bonus and behind-the-scenes footage, the sonic pairing that critics
everywhere are calling a "match made in heaven" are backed by the
same world class band that kept the grooves going on both albums: Anton Fig (drums, percussion), Carmine Rojas
(bass), Blondie Chaplin (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), Arlan Schierbaum
(keyboards). This time out, their mighty sound is augmented by a horn section,
with Lee Thornburg (trumpet and percussion), Ron Dziubla (saxophone and
percussion), and Carlos Perez Alfonso (trombone and percussion).
TRACKLISTING
1.
Amsterdam, Amsterdam!
2. Them
There Eyes
3.
Sinner's Prayer
4. Can't
Let Go
5. For
My Friends
6. Close
To My Fire
7.
Rhymes
8.
Something's Got A Hold On Me
9. Your
Heart Is As Black As Night
10.
Chocolate Jesus
11.
Baddest Blues
12.
Someday After Awhile (You'll Be Sorry)
13. Beth
introduces the band
14.
Well, well
15. If I
Tell You I Love You
16. See
Saw
17.
Strange Fruit
18. Miss
Lady
19. I
Love You More Than You'll Ever Know
20.
Nutbush City Limits
21. I'd
Rather Go Blind
22.
Antwerp Jam (Credits)
Twitter:
@JBONAMASSA, @BethHart
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