Joe’s newest album titled “Driving Towards The Daylight” hits stores shelves on May 22nd. Joe’s lucky 13th album, was recorded with Kevin “Caveman” Shirley. This was their seventh collaboration over the past six years. Recorded at Studio At The Palms in Las Vegas, NV, The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, CA, and The Cave in Malibu, CA, Driving Towards The Daylight is a true blues rock album, that puts a rock twist on traditional blues songs. I’ve been lucky enough to listen to “Driving Towards The Daylight” since early April. In this review, I will cover the album and my thoughts about it.. here we go!

Driving Towards The Daylight opens with “Dislocated Boy “. This track brings in the feeling of a heavier blues rock and is a Bonamassa original. Joe rips right into 1930′s blues. Right off the bat, you can tell how much Joe’s voice has improved. Up next Joe plays tribute to one of the original bluesman, Robert Johnson. Joe does a spectacular job covering “Stones In My Passway“. Original song was done in the 1930′s, but you can’t tell by listening with Joe putting his own blues rock spin to it. Great song and also a great way to pay tribute to someone who shares the same birthday as Joe (May 8th).

One of the best tracks on the album, in my opinion.. “Driving Towards The Daylight“. This one of Joe’s strongest songs to date and is a pure Bonamassa original. This song can best be described as a blues rock ballad, that hits home. The lyrics in this song are so powerful and make so much sense. Killer, jaw dropping guitar riffs. Not a song to be missed. We then hear another great cover “Who’s Been Talkin” by Howlin Wolf’. This song has a unique intro, you can hear Howlin Wolf’ talking about music. Joe did a fabulous job with this track. The original version of this song had a lot of harmonica playing. With Joe covering this song, you’ll hear a lot of guitar. No complaints! How about another awesome song? Willie Dixon’s “I Got All You Need“. Another one of my favorite songs of the album, this song is more of a fast paced blues tune. One thing that I noticed, which primarily stands out on this track is the terrific keyboard playing by Arlan Schierbaum. Overall a great song, which leads you to notice listening to this album it gets better and better.

Drum roll! Up next “A Place In My Heart” by Bernie Marsden. For those of you who do not know who Bernie is, he well known for his work with Whitesnake. This might be one of the only, if not the only, song Joe plays where a drum roll opens the song. Not to be mistaken, right after the drums, Joe goes directly into one of the most jaw dropping solos that I’ve ever heard him play. And that guitar playing does not let up, it continues throughout the whole song. Time to pick up my jaw and move on to the next song, which is “Lonely Town Lonely Street“. Bill Withers originally wrote this song. Although I have not heard of this song before, I have heard of other Bill Withers songs, such as “Lean on Me” & “Ain’t No Sunshine”. I had to check out the original, which I did find on YouTube. Joe’s version vs. the original, is quite different. While the beat is the same, the music itself is not. Fantastic electric guitar playing by Joe is just brilliant, which separates it from the original’s tone. 

“Heavenly Soul” follows and is another original Bonamassa tune. Great song it is, I love the new twist that Joe is taking on his songwriting. It is not really possible classify this song as a blues tune nor a rock tune. This song is in it’s own genre, with some amazing vocals. If this track is not a clear indication of how much Joe’s vocals have improved, I don’t know what is. You might recall that on one of Joe’s previous studio recordings, “The Ballad of John Henry”, Joe covered a Tom Waits’ tune. On this album, Joe has covered another Tom Wait’s tune, “New Coat of Paint“. This song has a blues rock vibe to it, not only because it is Tom Wait’s tune, but because of the way Joe has revamped the song itself. The way Joe has redone this song makes it one of my favorite covers on the album. The original version by Tom Waits’ was mostly piano driven, as the prominent instrument. 

My second favorite song on the album has to be “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go“. You ask why? Let me tell you! It’s another fine, I mean fine, Bonamassa original. This song in particular is pure rock. I love it, the vocals, the guitar playing, everything about it. This song definitely has potential to be on a Black Country Communion album. Joe’s singing on this number is just stellar and I’m a fan on that slide guitar work. The last song on Joe’s “Driving Towards The Daylight” is “Too Much Ain’t Enough Love” by Jimmy Barnes. Jimmy sings the vocals on it too. His voice is par-none, I never heard of Jimmy before this record. After hearing his voice on this track, I don’t’ know how. It’s can best be described as a raspy voice, one of the best I’ve ever heard. 

“Driving Towards The Daylight” is eleven tracks of pure epicness. It’s due out for release on May 22nd. I recommend that you pick up a copy. The album is available for preorder here. The band playing on the record consists of Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford (guitar), Blondie Chaplin (guitar), Anton Fig (drums and percussion), Arlan Schierbaum (keyboard), Michael Rhodes (bass), Carmine Rojas (bass), Jeff Bova and The Bovaland Brass, Pat Thrall (guitar), and Brad’s son Harrison Whitford (guitar). This record can be considered Joe’s best yet. A must have! Make sure to order yours today.

Blues Revue magazine is offering a hot deal. Subscribe to the publication and they will send you a free copy of Beth and Joe’s first album, Don’t Explain. That’s right, I said first. The second album is expected later this year. Back on track, to sign up head on over to Blues Revue magazine’s website. Blues Revue is one of the top publications in the world of the blues. They also feature a dedicated page to the album, offering various sample clips and interviews. Check it out at Blues Revue.

Legendary Brad Whitford from Aerosmith working with Joe on his next studio album. Brad has also been involved with the Hendrix Experience. For those that don’t know, the Hendrix Experience is a tour filled with amazing musicians playing renditions of Jimi Hendrix. Brad’s video blog is an update from the Palms in Las Vegas, with yours truly. Anton Fig is also playing drums on the CD. Other musicians also will make an appearance. Make sure to catch Joe’s new studio CD this May and Aerosmith’s new CD in late 2012.

Carmine Rojas: Crossing Boundaries  (February 2012 Bass Player issue by FreddyVillano)

Carmine Rojas is the consummate bass sideman, and that’s not by accident. Over a career that has spanned four decades, the native New Yorker has laid tasty foundations for a long list of heavies that include Tina Turner, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Al Green, Herbie Hancock, David Bowie and Rod Stewart, for whom he served as musical direction from 1988 to 2003. Since 2005, Rojas been touring and recording with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, whose 2011 release Dust Bowl- as well as Don’t Explain, Bonamassa’s gritty soul collaboration with singer Beth Hart-Showcase Rojas’ ability to tap into a wealth of musical styles for any given gig. His secret? Respect, “If you’re going to do this and make it  a career, respect it. It’s very sacred. Where the information comes from is spiritual. You have to be above yourself and respect the flow of energy and where it comes from.

How’d you hook up with Joe Bonamassa?

I have to thank [producer] Kevin Shirley for piecing this together, because at first, I wasn’t sure about being in a blues band. I didn’t know if it was going to be interesting enough. Buy it’s not about playing “Sweet Home Chicago” until we’re blue in the face. I get to throw some 6/8 in there just to clever it up.

You worked with David Bowie on hits like “Let’s Dance” and “Modern Love,” and your bass line on “China Girl” is classic

Iggy Pop’s  original version of “China Girl” doesn’t even have a bass line. The day before we cut that song, the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” was on the radio. Brian Jones’ great vibraphone part has the same chord changes as “China Girl” –E to D to C. That’s where my bass line comes from.

What prepared you to be a musical director for Rod Stewart?

I learned a lot Carlos Alomar, David Bowie’s musical director for many years, who took me under his wing. He would mix genres all the time, like Latin with Rock. He’d say, “Let’s put [Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s 1888 symphonic suite] ‘Scheherazade’ in this punk thing.” I’d be like “You can do that?” and he would say “Year,Sure-Just turn the groove around.” As long as it was in the pocket, I could do whatever I wanted with Carlos. I was never Limited.

Ron Wood’s bass line on “Maggie May”: Masterpiece or mess?

[Laughs] You can her Woody messing around and missing the root notes; that’s a brilliant, walking/country-western line that he put in a little rock flair into. I added my own thing to it’s the kind of line you can mess around with. I would throw in an extra 3^rd somewhere or stay on the V chord for a while. I altered that line all the time.

What’s the difference between backing an icon like Rod Stewart and a guitar hero like Joe Bonamassa?

There isn’t really any difference, because I still play what I call “Across-the-boards” bass. Maybe with Joe I try to come up with more Andy Fraser-like parts, but I’m using the same spirit, the same techniques, the same aggressiveness, and I’ll add to it whatever I heard the day. My ipod stays on “Shuffle” all day long, and I play along with whatever comes on. If I hear something I like-even if it’s keyboards, horn parts and vocal lines-I try to figure it out and then us it in the show somewhere.

Gear:

Basses: Xotic XB Series 4 and 5-strings, Rig: Gallien Krueger Fusion 550 amp, Gallien Krueger Neo Series 4×12 cab, Strings: Ernie Ball Super Slinky (0.040 – .125), Other: Brace Audio digital wireless

Source

Time to run out to your local Barnes and Noble (for those in the United States) and grab your copy of Classic Rock magazine. This publication is huge in Europe. When you want all the big music news, you read Classic Rock magazine! Joe is on the cover, also included in the magazine is a “greatest hits” CD. The disc includes twelve tracks from Joe’s various studio records. A lot of news is unveiled, Joe outlines his plans for 2012! The magazine runs about $15, well worth the price. It will look great with a signature!

His favorite guitar is a ’59 Les Paul Sunburst, a “Holy Grail” that he actually takes on the road with him.

“I tour nine months a year,” Bonamassa told Gibson.com, in a 2011 interview. “What am I going to do, come home and noodle with it on the couch? Go, ‘Wow look at this, I’ve got a ’59 Les Paul that never gets used, maybe on a recording here and there.’ I’d rather get a nice case for it–which I did–hire an ex-secret service agent as my security guard–which I did [laughs]–and take it on the road.” In an interview with AmericanBluesScene.com, Bonamassa praised the ‘59’ Les Paul’s extraordinary tone. “I have over 300 guitars, but out of all of them, that one is definitely my favorite.”

He uses heavy gauge strings partly as a “preventative” measure.

“I’m not a shredder guy,” Bonamassa once told Premier Guitar, “but I have shredder tendencies that I think get in my way. I have a tendency to put in a million notes and show off to the world, and that’s not usually my best solo. So, the .011s keep me from going there all the time. I can ramp up to it, but I’m not living there, over-playing all the time.”

His all-time favorite guitarist is Free’s Paul Kossoff.

“He’s such an unsung hero,” Bonamassa told M – Music & Musicians, in 2011. “His playing cuts like a knife through butter. You can feel his emotions in every note, whether it’s a hard note or a soft note. He’s a tactile player. And the tone he got with that beautiful ’59 Les Paul was just crushing. I actually got to play that guitar as a show in Newcastle last year. A friend of a friend owns it, and he let me borrow it I. That was a thrill. I felt like I was channeling Kossoff.”

The first rock song he mastered, as a child, was Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile.”

“I learned that riff properly,” Bonamassa told M – Music and Musicians. “A lot of kids today learn the Stevie Ray Vaughan version of that riff. Hendrix’s ‘Slight Return’ riff is different.” Bonamassa also told GuitarMessenger.com that the only other guitar piece he learned, note for note, was the dueling solo from the film, Crossroads. “That was difficult and challenging and very frustrating,” he said. “I’m just not a note-for-note kind of guy.”

Those trademark shades he wears vary with the seasons.

“I have four sets of them,” Bonamassa once told GuitarMessenger.com. “I have the ‘hot summer show’ ones–called Silhouettes, because they wrap around your ears. That prevents them from sliding off. Then, when you get into the wintertime and the theater’s not that hot, I wear a set of Pradas. I also have a set of Ray Bans and a set of Revos. I’m sure I’ve bought enough sunglasses to put somebody’s kid through college.”

The place you’re most likely to find him, when he’s not on tour, is The Home Depot.

“I’m deep into home improvements,” Bonamassa told a fan forum, in 2006. “I love The Home Depot. I’m good at walking in and picking things out, buying the supplies for the deck or whatever other project is on the list. But I leave the work to the pros. I’m just good at the buying part.”

His biggest regret is that he didn’t start singing at an earlier age.

“I didn’t start singing ‘till I was 18, and that’s something I deeply regret,” Bonamassa once lamented. “But then again, there’s tons of stuff where you go back and say, ‘Well, I should’ve gone left, but instead I went right. That was a bad decision.’ Anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and makes you smarter for the next day.”

He would much rather perform live than record in the studio.

“The studio is a daunting place, for me,” Bonamassa told GuitarMessenger.com, in 2007. “Some people flourish in that environment, but I don’t. Everything is decisions. ‘Is this good enough?’ ‘Is the sound just right?’ ‘Is there enough reverb?’ ‘Is it panned correctly?’ I get overwhelmed. Whereas, live, who cares? It comes from the top of your head, and you just blow it out. If I suck tonight, I’ll be better tomorrow. The cool thing about live is there’s always tomorrow to redeem yourself.”

The most important advice he received from his mentor, B.B. King, had nothing to do with guitar playing.

“He said, ‘Watch your money and keep your eye on the business side of things,’” Bonamassa told M – Music & Musicians, in 2011. “It’s about music, but it’s also about business. He sat me down and said, ‘Joe, you need to always reinvest back into what you do, back into your fan base. Fans can detect if you’re not doing that, if you’re not doing things to improve the show.’ It’s no different from running a Walgreen’s, or a Joe’s Pizza Shack.”

He believes great rhythm guitar playing is underappreciated.

“Even someone like me, who often gets caught up in soloing, plays rhythm guitar eighty percent of the time,” Bonamassa once said, in an unpublished interview. “Even a guy who puts on a ‘guitar show’ has to play rhythm, and has to be fluent in chords and voicings. Also, if you don’t learn how to back off your volume when someone else is soloing, that’s problematic. Rhythm playing is about learning how to blend in with the band, and be part of the ensemble.”

Source: Gibson

Joe Bonamassa is featured on the cover of the July 2011 issue of Guitarist Magazine. The magazine is one of the largest, if not the largest guitar magazine in Europe. The magazine should be hitting new stands in the US as well, within in the next week. Both Borders and Barnes and Noble carry the magazine.

Joe Bonamassa & Glenn Hughes

We talk to the world’s hottest guitarist and the legendary voice of rock about the second coming of their phenomenal supergroup Black Country Communion.

The issue features both information on Joe’s solo career and Black Country Communion. These magazine are of high quality and the glossy covers always look nice with a signature. Make sure you pick up your copy.. Read more on Guitarist’s website.

Smokin’ Joe Bonamassa, seen in this video at the age of 12 in 1989. This is a new video that has appeared on YouTube. Great to see Len (Joe’s Dad) talk about  him playing at the age of six and even then out playing most adults.

Being in the 8th grade, he was a lot more mature than a lot of other kids at his age. Simply amazing! Enjoy… !