Category Archives: Albums

USA Today’s Pick Of The Week

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USA Today picked Don’t Explain as the Pick of the Week. This is just some of the great press we are seeing about this great album.. hope you’re enjoying it!

I’ll Take Care of You, Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa
What a thrilling reworking of the Brook Benton soul classic, made famous — and definitive — by Bobby “Blue” Bland in 1959. This version, a highlight of the new album of soul covers Don’t Explain, finds Los Angeles songstress Hart slowly stating her case for devotion over a somber piano figure and strings. Just as her vocal builds to a scatting emotional peak, blues-guitar ace Bonamassa drives things home with a searing solo. Purists might quibble with the borderline excess, but this song can take it.

You can also check out the full article on their website.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Two Albums In iTunes Top 10 Blues

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Almost two years after the release of Royal Albert Hall in iTunes, it is still hanging in the top 10. Joe’s RAH album comes with 19 tracks, most are exclusive to the album. The album in it’s entirety must be purchased to get all of the tracks. We are just shy of seeing 200 five star reviews for this album.

Joe’s other album in the top 10 is Dust Bowl. The album in iTunes has over 200 reviews, with 4.5 being the average rating. Dust Bowl has been in the top 10 since its release in March 2011.

These two albums are pretty impressive. Not to mention, the feedback behind each album on iTunes is great. I don’t think everyone will buy music from iTunes. I know for a fact that there are a lot of people like myself who like to have a physical copy of the album to give to others or even to get signed.

None the less, these numbers are a good indication. iTunes is the best selling digital music store on the internet. To have Joe be on iTunes is great and to have him be in the top 10 of blues is even better. It will only continue to grow and get better from this point forward. Rock on..

Popularity: 7% [?]

Hart and Bonamassa Interview

Just incase you have not seen it already, enjoy! Joe’s guitar sounds like it is on a new level on this record.. you can hear it briefly in the background. Hope to have a full review of the CD up soon.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Bonamassa Has Arrived in Times Square

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Just image  this, you’re walking through Times Square. Low and behold appears a Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart billboard. Is it just dream? Not this time; it’s reality. Pictured above is a billboard from Times Square in New York City. Joe and Beth’s album cover was displayed in Times Square along with the release date of the album. Both billboards advertise press releases from PR Newswire, which is the company that deals with Joe’s press releases. Many thanks to Lindsay (Joe’s sister) for taking this awesome picture.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa CD Set For Fall Release

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Joe and Beth’s CD titled “Don’t Explain” is set for release on September 27th. Produced by the legendary Kevin “The Caveman” Shirley. The album was recorded earlier this year and will be released on Joe’s label J & R Adventures, which he co-owns with long time manager Roy Weisman.

Track listing:

1. Sinner’s Prayer 4:28
2. Chocolate Jesus 2:38
3. Your Heart Is As Black As Night 4:59
4. For My Friends 4:10
5. Don’t Explain 4:32
6. I’d Rather Go Blind 8:05
7. Something’s Got A Hold On Me 6:02
8. I’ll Take Care Of You 5:12
9. Well, Well 3:40
10. Ain’t No Way 6:47

For the latest updates about the album, make sure you stay on top of the Official Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa website. Bonamassa Live will be doing a full blown review of the CD before it’s released.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Bonamassa Joins Leslie West On New Solo CD

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Despite his recent leg-amputation surgery, legendary guitarist Leslie West is going ahead with plans to release his new solo album, Unusual Suspects, on September 19th.

Although Unusual Suspects is billed as a ‘solo’ effort, West is joined by an impressive array of guest stars, such as Billy Gibbons, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa and Steve Lukather. Noted drummer Kenny Aronoff also lends his talents to the proceedings.

“These guys don’t show up to play on everybody’s albums,” West said of his famous friends who grace his CD. “They’re stars in their own right and fantastic players, everyone with their own sound and style, and about as far from ‘the usual suspects’ as it gets.”

Read the full story at Music Radar.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Black Country Communion 2 – A Flashback To The 70’s

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Let’s take a flash back into the 70’s… that’s where you’ll find the Black Country Communion 2 album. The collaboration between all of the band members is fantastic. On the album, you’ll find a lot of influence from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. The album starts off with the strong single, The Outsider. This track is a great single, has a killer opening riff that hits you right in the face – holy 70’s!

The album has a lot of other hidden gems, such as The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall. Joe Bonamassa’s vocals are right up front on this track and we get to hear some of his great acoustic guitar playing, that slams on to a full blown out rock song.

How about Save Me? This is a great track. In fact, this very track is an unreleased Led Zeppelin track. Save Me came alive after the O2 Led Zep gig in 2007.  John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page came up with the song, which was brought to BCC 2  by Jason Bonham. Hughes states “(Bonham) kept playing me that riff over and over, and I was interested. It’s a great riff, and he wanted me to write something really desperate. I finally got (Bonamassa) over to my house and said, ‘Listen, we really should finish this song,’ and we did, and it really turned into something special.”

Another one of my favorites is Smokestack Woman. This is another song that has a Led Zep twist to it, which you can hear in Bonamassa’s guitar playing. The song almost reminds me of a Gov’t Mule song. Glenn Hughes vocals are simply outstanding.

The 70’s train continues right on into I Can See Spirit. This is definitely a hit and would be great as a radio single – many tunes on this album are of that quality. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such awesome drumming, Jason Bonham really pounds the skins on this one.

Saving the best for last, Cold. This song has a very interesting intro, you can literally hear Bonamassa’s guitar talking. The jaw dropping, guitar solo lasts for well over a minute. Glenn Hughes has a nice, soft voice on this song. Definitely a great bluesy ballad. It’s one of the longest tracks on the album, coming in near seven minutes. Heck, if it went on for another seven minutes, I wouldn’t be complaining.

When it comes down to the bottom line – this is another master piece by Black Country Communion. The dedication and effort displayed in each song is outstanding. This record is a must have and I hope to hear many more records from this band. As Glenn Hughes says, this is real music. Many thanks to Kevin Shirley for  being the man behind such an amazing group and producing such an overall fantastic album. The mastering is phenomenal and definitely  has that 70’s groove to it.

Make sure to catch Black Country Communion out on the road. Latest dates available on the Black Country Communion Fan Website.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Bonamassa and Beth Hart Record

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Joe and Beth had recorded some material together last year. Latest update from our good friend Kevin Shirley indicates that the album is being mixed this week. Hoping for a late 2011 release. No other information is available yet, keep your eyes open!

Popularity: 20% [?]

Walmart To Sell Exclusive Two Disc Dust Bowl

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Did you know that Walmart is going to be featuring a two disc set of Joe’s new album Dust Bowl? This two disc set is going to be released on April 12th and will only be purchasable via Walmart.com and In-store. For Joe to get a deal like this could be huge, just think of how many Walmarts are near you right now!

The second disc in the set is a collaboration disc of Joe’s greatest hits. It will feature a good amount of tracks. Not too sure about how many will be on the disc just yet. I’m wondering if it will be like the Blues in the Schools promo disc, which has eleven. So stay tuned for April 12th, check out a Walmart near you. Great collectors item and we can’t forget Walmart’s low price of $11.88. Check out the official product page on Walmart.com.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Dust Bowl Number at #4 On UK Charts

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Joe’s new album Dust Bowl has debuted at number 4 on the UK Charts. This is the overall music chart for the UK featuring all genres of music. This a very good start for Joe in the UK and if you remember, Black Country Communion’s CD debuted #1 on this chart. Dust Bowl has almost been out for a week now and is getting raving reviews. We’d like to hear how you like it!

Popularity: 11% [?]