Black Rock – Joe Bonamassa | CD review

(Only Blues Music) 4.5 stars

The decision by US guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa to record in Greece has produced one of the more exciting world blues albums in a long while.

Bonamassa has evolved from a precocious talent into one of the genre’s leading lights, earning comparisons with major influences such as Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Clapton and Jeff Beck.

He’s played with the last two and on `Black Rock’ (named after the Santorini studios where it was recorded) he gives `Spanish Boots’ a fiery workout, with the guitar and thudding drum-play evoking recent memories of Beck in concert.

A good-humoured version of `Night Life’ features a duet with BB King, who first invited the New Yorker onstage at age eight.

Stevie Ray influences can be heard on heavy blues-rock originals like `When The Fire Hits The Sea’ and `Blue and Evil’.

What really sets this album apart is its alluring blend of genres, including bouzouki, ney (Persian flute) and clarino (high trumpet).

They feature on the evocative, folk-blues `Quarryman’s Lament’ and `Athens To Athens’, as well as `Bird On A Wire’ – a sensational blues re-interpretation of the Leonard Cohen classic ballad that may well do for Bonamassa what `Hallelujah’ did for Jeff Buckley.

– Mike Daly

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