This is some video footage of Joe Bonamassa playing “The Ballad of John Henry” during the recording sessions of the album of the same name. Producer Kevin Shirley recorded a lot of the recording sessions, so I’m hoping more videos of the recordings become available at some point. In the meantime, enjoy:

Joe Bonamassa and Kevin Shirley have a good thing going. Each year they get together for a few weeks and record a new album. I don’t know how they do it, but they’ve got the process down to a science. Which is not to say that the records sound rushed. On the contrary, Shirley seems to be able to push Bonamasssa a little further with each new release, and Bonamassa’s signature sound gets more refined.

Recorded in picturesque Santorini, Greece, Black Rock* is the next chapter of the Shirley/Bonamassa collaboration. At the start of the recording sessions, Shirley had Joe record using a Telecaster directly into small amps to force Bonamassa out of his Les Paul/Marshall comfort zone. Additionally, Greek folk musicians were brought in to play with Joe. You can read more about the recording process here.

Like Bonamassa’s previous solo albums, Black Rock contains a mixture of original tunes and covers. Joe wrote 5 of the 13 tracks on the album. As I’ve mentioned before, Joe has a way of taking songs written by other people and making them his own. On Black Rock, Joe covers songs by Jeff Beck, John Hiatt, Otis Rush, Willie Nelson, Leonard Cohen, Blind Boy Fuller, and James Clark. Joe is also joined by special guest B.B. King on the  Willie Nelson tune “Night Life.”

The album starts off with a couple of heavier blues tunes, “Steal Your Heart Away” followed by “I Know a Place.” These songs set a nice tone for the album. Vocally, Joe seems to be stretching himself further with each album. Musically, Joe’s in excellent form. His recorded guitar tones are some of my favorite, and Black Rock continues that tradition.

I really enjoy Joe’s slide playing, but the slide hasn’t been prominently featured on one of his albums for several years. Fortunately, the third song on the album, “When the Fire Hits the Sea”, changes that by featuring a very nice slide solo.

Next is “Quarryman’s Lament”, which is presumably a response to “Story of a Quarryman” from Joe’s last album The Ballad of John Henry. “Quarryman’s Lament” is a slow, dirge-like number that features some excellent acoustic playing by Joe.

“Spanish Boots” is a Jeff Beck tune, and Bonamassa’s version is quite a bit different than Beck’s version. In my opinion, Beck’s version is more laid back than Bonamassa’s version, which is more upfront and in your face. Both versions are excellent, but I think I like Bonamassa’s version a little better.

I was a little surprised to see Joe cover a Leonard Cohen tune, but his version of “Bird on a Wire” is excellent. I’ve never heard the original, so I can’t compare them, but I really like Joe’s version. It’s probably the slowest song on the album and is a nice bridge between “Spanish Boots” and the bluesier “Three Times a Fool.”

“Three Times a Fool” is one of the more traditional blues songs on the album. To me, this song evokes the blues of the 50s and 60s. Joe seems to be using a 335-style guitar on this track, which contributes to the more classic sound compared to his more rock-oriented tracks. “Night Life” also falls into the category of more traditional blues, even though it’s a cover of a Willie Nelson tune. Of course, B.B. King helps contribute to the more traditional sound. I like their take on the tune. Again, I’ve never heard the original, so I can’t compare this version to the original.

After “Night Life” is “Wandering Earth”, which is a slow, but heavy blues that has some of the best guitar tones on the album. This is an original Bonamassa tune and is one of my favorites on the album.

“Look Over Yonders Wall” is a mid-tempo blues number that is a cover of a James Clark tune. Joe plays a couple of fiery solos in this tune.

“Athens to Athens” is a slow, Greek-infused song that features the Greek musicians more prominently than most of the other songs. I was curious to see how the Greek musicians would fit into Joe’s style of music, and I think Shirley did a good job in where he placed them on the album. A nice touch resulting in an interesting addition to the album.

“Blue and Evil” is the first publicly available song from Black Rock. It starts off with an acoustic riff that morphs into a heavy blues riff. This tune features great guitar tones and another fiery guitar solo from Joe.

The final track on the album is an acoustic blues cover of a Blind Boy Fuller song titled “Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind.” Compared to the rest of the album, this track is a bit of a departure, and I can see why it’s included last. However, I really like Joe’s take on the song, and it’s a fun way to end the album. It’s a more intimate song prominently featuring Joe’s vocals and guitar playing with little other instrumentation.

With Black Rock, Joe Bonamassa and Kevin Shirley have got another great album to add to Bonamassa’s already impressive discography. Very few other modern artists are playing blues/rock music like this, and Bonamassa remains at the top of his game with this album. If you’re already a fan, you’ll love this album. If you’re new to Bonamassa’s music, Black Rock provides a nice introduction to the variety in his music, not to mention the great collection of songs.

The full track listing of Black Rock is:

1. Steal Your Heart Away
2. I Know a Place
3. When the Fire Hits the Sea
4. Quarryman’s Lament
5. Spanish Boots
6. Bird on a Wire
7. Three Times a Fool
8. Night Life
9. Wandering Earth
10. Look Over Yonders Wall
11. Athens to Athens
12. Blue and Evil
13. Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind

Black Rock will be available in the U.S. on March 23, 2010.

* The Amazon.com links within this review are affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you purchase the album through this link, which helps me pay to host this site. That being said, I really like this album and wouldn’t recommend it otherwise.

Joe Bonamassa has recently been on a press tour talking about his upcoming album Black Rock (aff link). He’s also been playing some songs from the album. Here’s Joe playing Three Times a Fool:

Dinosaur Rock Guitar recently interviewed Joe Bonamassa. In the interview, Bonamassa discusses his upcoming album Black Rock, his recently released (excellent) DVD Live from the Royal Albert Hall, and recording with his supergroup Black Country:

I’m playing a Gibson Explorer and a Les Paul with a couple of old Super Leads, really stripped down approach. Nothing majestic. So what if the guitar stutters a bit in the solo, so what if it’s clean but it’s heavy? Heavy-handed old school, you know. Glenn’s the primary singer and I’m happy to let him do it, coz if you’ve got Gordon Ramsey in the kitchen cooking for you, why the hell would you wanna make the salad?  He’s fucking brilliant! So, at the end of the day it’s like, I have no ego, I’d be happy to just play rhythms! I think people will be pleasantly surprised at the level of writing and the level of care going into it. I’m excited about it! I however don’t wanna over-hype it. I’m not that happy the rumour is out. My thing is more – here’s the record, enjoy it or not. There’s no pretence going on. It’s like the LA rumours – This is gonna be bigger than bread! No, it’s not. People still need bread, they don’t need this fucking record. So, calm down, let us be creative and let us do our jobs. It won’t come out if it sucks.

I love his attitude about it. I can’t wait to hear what they’re working on.

Early in his career, Joe Bonamassa recorded an instructional video for Hot Licks titled “Lead Guitar Unlimited.” The video is now out of print, but a promo for the video is available on YouTube. Even back then, Joe was already a phenomenal guitarist.

Guitar Edge magazine recently spoke with Joe Bonamassa backstage at one of his shows. During the discussion, Bonamassa plays a lick and then breaks it down. He also talks about a new guitar acquisition, a Gibson Firebird.

On May 4, 2009, Joe Bonamassa played to a sold-out crowd at London’s Royal Albert Hall. This was the culmination of a life-long dream of Bonamassa’s and a celebration of his 20 years in the music business. The performance was recorded and was released on DVD this month.

At the beginning of the DVD, Bonamassa recounts watching Cream’s Farewell Concert, which was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, and how it made him want to play the Royal Albert Hall one day. Suffice it to say, this was a special day for Bonamassa, and he brought out all the stops.

In addition to his regular touring band, which features Carmine Rojas on bass, Bogie Bowles on drums, and Rick Melick on keys, Bonamassa added a horn section and Anton Fig as a second drummer. I wondered how the additional players would affect the sound because I love the sound he gets from his regular touring band and I was hoping that wouldn’t get lost. My worries were unfounded; the additional musicians really added another dimension to the music making it fuller and bigger sounding.

As Bonamassa starts the show, the camera follows behind him so that you can see his point of view from the stage. And, as he walks out onto the stage playing the intro notes to “Django”, you can see the crowd give him a standing ovation, which must have been a tremendous moment for Joe.

The material Joe selected for the show features songs from his latest album The Ballad of John Henry as well as songs from throughout his solo career, including one of my favorites, “Blues Deluxe.” He also played a few classics, including “Just Got Paid” and “Further On Up the Road”, where he was joined by the person that inspired him to want to play the Royal Albert Hall: Eric Clapton. Another special guest, British radio host Paul Jones, joined Bonamassa to play harmonica on “Your Funeral My Trial.”

Joe’s playing throughout the show is, as usual, incredible. The tones he wrangles out of his Les Pauls and his amp combinations are second to none. The gear he uses includes his signature Les Pauls, a few Les Paul historic models, a Gibson Flying V, an Ernie Ball Musicman John Petrucci Baritone, an Ernie Ball Musicman 25th anniversary, and a Yamaha acoustic. He uses his usual combination of amps, which includes a Marshall Silver Jubilee, a Van Weeldon Twinkleland, a Carol Ann JB model, and a Category 5 Joe Bonamassa model.

The DVD also has a few bonus features, including a performance of “Woke Up Dreaming,” which is an acoustic guitar tour de force. Additionally, a bus interview with Bonamassa is included. In the interview, he discusses some of the songs that he plays in the show and how he came to write or record them. While discussing the songs, he plays some fragments of the songs using the brand-new Marshall Class 5 amp, which sounds great.

Joe Bonamassa has previously released two other DVDs, Live at Rockpalast and A New Day Yesterday Live, both of which are very good and both of which I’d recommend. However, Live at the Royal Albert Hall takes it to a different level. I think this is Joe’s best DVD so far. Not only is the performance top-notch, the production by Kevin Shirley is very well done. I had the chance to see Bonamassa a few months before the Royal Albert Hall show, and this DVD perfectly encapsulates that experience for me. I highly recommend this DVD for any fans of guitar-driven music.

Speaking of Joe Bonamassa, Cherry Lane Music is going to be releasing a tablature book for Joe’s album Blues Deluxe on August 24th. You can preorder the book from Music Dispatch.

On May 4 of this year, Joe Bonamassa celebrated his 20 years in the music business by performing at the Royal Albert Hall, which fulfilled a dream that he’s had since he was a child. The show was recorded and will be released as a DVD later this year, on September 21.

Joe brought out all the stops for the Royal Albert Hall show. Eric Clapton joined him on stage to play “Further on Up the Road”, and Joe also expanded his regular band to include two drummers and a horn section.

Reports from the show indicate that it was a great show, so I’m really looking forward to the release of the DVD. I had a chance to see Bonamassa earlier this year a few months before the Royal Albert Hall show, and he was on fire.

Here’s a trailer for the DVD:

In August 2007, Vintage Guitar magazine featured Joe Bonamassa as the cover story. A few months ago they posted the interview online. In the interview, Bonamassa discusses his guitar collection (with pictures!), his early career, and his experiences with guitar legends:

Asked why his experiences with such legends have been so positive, Bonamassa chuckled, “I listened to old records… I should have been born in 1950. I’m into old guitars, I’ve owned an old car, and for a large portion of my life, I didn’t listen to anything that was made after 1974. When I met all of those guys, they liked the fact that I could kinda talk the language in the sense that I knew a lot of the ins and outs of older recordings. And to be honest, a lot of the people I’ve opened for tend to draw a bigger crowd, so I’d tempered my act to fit that type of audience.”