"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 musical 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 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 riches.
"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 teeming 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.
Bonamassa's stature in the music industry has built steadily
over the years. Along with his longtime manager, Roy Weisman, the iconoclastic
guitarist built his own successful record label, management and concert
promotion company called J&R Adventures. In addition, his connection to
fans on social media has grown to over 2.4 million Facebook friends, over 131K
Twitter followers and 130K Instragram followers.
Prior to the release of Blues of Desperation, Bonamassa – a
touring monster who averages about 100 shows a year – will be kicking off the
year with a January DVD recording of his intimate acoustic show at New York's
Carnegie Hall before embarking on his second annual Keeping The Blues Alive at
Sea blues cruise in February and a full-on electric band trek through the U.S.
in April.
Tracklisting:
1.This Train
2.Mountain Climbing
3.Drive
4.No Good Place For The Lonely
5.Blues Of Desperation
6.The Valley Runs Low
7.You Left Me Nothin' But The Bill And The Blues
8.Distant Lonesome Train
9.How Deep This River Runs
10.Livin' Easy
11.What I've Known For A Very Long Time
No comments:
Post a Comment