Guy King: Joy is Coming

Guitarist Guy King is sitting comfortably on the fence overlooking the pastures named jazz and blues on his new album, Joy is Coming. With his clean-cut tone and easy-on-the-airs vocals he sails through life's hassles and mishaps, fully confident that it all will work out fine in the end. Seasoned author and songsmith David Ritz wrote the bulk of the lyrics, a sure fire guarantee for simple words that are loaded with something extra.

Yes, it's smooth and it is sounds a bit generic at times, but dig a little deeper to fully appreciate his mastery of his instrument and the carefully constructed arrangements, allowing both the strings and reeds to commandeer the spotlights. Joe Bonamassa added some spice to Devil's Toy and Vanessa Bell Armstrong brought her A-game, when she came in to add vocals to Up, Up, Up. King keeps the softer side of the jazz-tinged blues of his native Chicago alive with gentle swaying Sanity and Oh, Sarah. Joy is Coming offers old school entertainment for late night parties frequented by well-dressed people.

Cover Me: Lazy

Watch Jimmy Barnes and Joe Bonamassa tackle the Deep Purple classic Lazy. It can be found on the 2012 tribute album Re-machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head.

» jimmybarnes.com
» jbonamassa.com

Warren Haynes Presents: The 30th Annual Christmas Jam

Warren Haynes has announced the lineup for The 30th Annual Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC:

December 7th will feature sets by (in alphabetical order) Dark Side of The Mule, Grace Potter, Jamey Johnson, Marco Benevento and Mike Gordon (of Phish), and December 8th will welcome (in alphabetical order) Dave Grohl and friends play “PLAY”, Eric Church, Gov't Mule, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and Joe Bonamassa. There will be many special guests throughout both nights including Audley Freed, Fred Eltringham, Jen Gunderman, Jimmy Vivino, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Mike Barnes, Robert Kearns, Ron Holloway and more.

Warren Haynes Presents
The 30th Annual Christmas Jam
December 7-8
Cellular Center
Asheville, NC

» xmasjam.com

Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head

Few hard rock records have made such a lasting impact as the Machine Head, the 1972 album by Deep Purple. Odd to think that band choose Never Before as the first single back then. Apparently they didn't realise the power of Highway Star and Smoke On The Water. Classic Rock has assembled a roster of notable acts for the tribute CD Re-Machined. Release date: September 24th.

The fanpack also comes with an in-depth, official, band-endorsed 124-page magazine which includes exclusive new interviews with world-class guitarists Joe Bonamassa and Steve Vai and the members of Metallica, Iron Maiden and Chickenfoot amongst others talking about recording these classic songs, plus brand new interviews with Deep Purple – one of the last interviews with the late Jon Lord – on the making of their most well-loved album and exclusive and previously unpublished photographs and artefacts from the Purple archives.

Tracks:

1. Smoke On The Water - Carlos Santana / Jacoby Shaddix
2. Highway Star - Chickenfoot
3. Maybe I'm A Leo - Glenn Hughes / Chad Smith
4. Pictures of Home - Black Label Society
5. Never Before - Kings of Chaos
6. Smoke On The Water - The Flaming Lips
7. Lazy - Jimmy Barnes with Joe Bonamassa
8. Space Truckin’ - Iron Maiden
9. When A Blind Man Cries - Metallica
   Special edition fanpack only:
10. Highway Star - Glenn Hughes, Steve Vai, Chad Smith, Lachy Doley

(Thru myfavouritemagazines.co.uk)

Black Country Communion: "2"

photo: Christie Goodwin

The second Black Country Communion album is simply named "2". The heavy blues rock supergroup has turned into a real band, not just a side-project. Four individuals have melted into one, sharing a love for Seventies rock - it doesn't hurt that bass player and singer Glenn Hughes was already at large then, playing in Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

For the second effort the band allows the tracks to breathe - some of them are over six minutes long. Guitar player Joe Bonamassa steps up to the microphone to handle the vocals for acoustic guitar driven Battle For Hadrian’s Wall and An Ordinary Son. Keyboard player Derek Sherinian is more prominent in the mix and Jason Bonham is a hard-hitting drummer who can lay down rock solid beats and enhance the drive of a song by leaping over the bar with gusto.

Joe Bonamassa: Dust Bowl

photo: © Paul Bergen

Joe Bonamassa is a busy guy. The blues guitarist guests on numerous albums, and the hugely successful Black Country Communion band project with Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian, will see him hitting the stage this Summer. Somehow he has managed to find some time off in his busy schedule to record his new album Dust Bowl, his eleventh solo studio release since 2000.

Bonamassa has found his sound, stretching the notes over a hard hitting rhythm section, but there's a touch of country too. Joh Hiatt guests on Tennessee Plates and Vince Gil lends a hand for Sweet Rowena. A great blues player can pull it off when he switches to acoustic and Bonamassa does so during Black Lung Heartache, channeling Rory Gallagher ca. 1974. As a true Eric Clapton pupil he tears through songs like You Better Watch Yourself and the slow rumbling Paul Rodger's cover Heartbreaker (with the soulful voice of Glenn Hughes as an added bonus).

Dust Bowl is more of the same and that is fine. Bonamassa still finds new things to play within the 12-bar blues rock scheme. He crosses over to other genres occasionally, but he never loses sight of his classic rock fan base.

Joe Bonamassa: guitar, vocals
Carmine Rojas: bass
Rick Melick: keyboards
Anton Fig: drums

Dust Bowl is released on Mascot Records. Release date: March 21. He offers the title track as a free download.

Tracks:

1. Slow Train
2. Dust Bowl
3. Tennessee Plates (feat. John Hiatt)
4. The Meaning Of The Blues
5. Black Lung Heartache
6. You Better Watch Yourself
7. The Last Matador Of Bayonne
8. Heartbreaker (feat. Glenn Hughes)
9. Love On The Street
10. The Whale That Swallowed Jonah
11. Sweet Rowena (feat. Vince Gill)
12. Prisoner

Also available as a limited digibook edition.

Video: Joe Bonamassa - Dust Bowl teaser

Live dates:

• 03/18 Columbus,OH @ Palace Theatre Columbus
• 03/19 Cincinnati,OH @ Taft Theatre
• 03/21 Grand Rapids, MI @ DeVos Performance Hall
• 03/23 Reading, PA @ Sovereign Performing Arts Center
• 03/24 Worcester, MA @ Hanover Theatre
• 03/25 Westbury, NY @ NYCB Theatre at Westbury
• 03/27 Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland
• 03/31 Montreal, Quebec @ Theatre St. Denis
• 04/01 Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Civic Centre
• 04/02 Toronto, Canada Massey Hall
• 04/26 Randers, Denmark @ Vaerket
• 04/28 Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene
• 04/29 Bergen, Norway @ Bergen Fest
• 04/30 Trondheim, Norway @ Royall Garden Hotel
• 05/03 Zürich, Switzerland @ Volkshaus
• 05/04 Antwerp, Belgiumn @ Koningin Elisabethzaal
• 05/05 Paris, France @ Olympia
• 05/10 Tokyo, Japan @ Blitz
• 05/12 Hong Kong, China @ Rotunda 3
• 05/15 Singapore @ Esplanade Concert Hall
• 05/18 Newcastle, Australia @ Civic Theatre
• 05/20 Sydney, Australia @ Enmore Theatre
• 05/21 Brisbane, Australia @ The Tivoli
• 05/23 Perth, Australia @ Perth Concert Hall
• 05/26 Melbourne, Australia @ Palais Theatre
• 05/27 Adelaide, Australia @ Her Majesty’s Theatre
• 10/06 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Koninklijk Theater Carré
• 10/07 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Koninklijk Theater Carré
• 10/15 Lancashire, UK @ Blackpool Opera House
• 10/16 Nottinham, UK @ The Capital FM Arena
• 10/18 Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff International Arena
• 10/19 Plymouth, UK @ Plymouth Pavilions
• 10/21 London, UK @ HMV London Hammersmith Apollo
• 10/22 London, UK @ HMV London Hammersmith Apollo
• 10/25 Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre
• 10/27 Chicago, Il @ Chicago Theatre
• 10/28 Cleveland, OH @ State Theatre @
• 10/29 Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
• 11/03 Boston, MA @ The Wang Theatre
• 11/05 New York, NY @ The Beacon Theatre
• 11/08 Ithaca, NY @ State Theatre @
• 11/11 Baltimore, MD @ Hippodrome @
• 11/12 Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of Music
• 11/25 Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
• 11/26 Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
• 12/15 Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre

» jbonamassa.com

HCTF review of Live From The Royal Albert Hall.

Joe Bonamassa: Live From The Royal Albert Hall

Joe Bonammassa fullfilled a childhood fantasy when he performed at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 4th, 2009. And it became even better when he was joined on stage by Eric Clapton for Further on up the Road (after which he enthuses: "that was the coolest thing I have ever done"). Bonamassa is one of the most respected modern day blues guitarist right now, with a smooth tone that can get rough when he feels it appropriate. Live From Royal Albert Hall was released on DVD last year and is now available on Bluray and 2CD.

Black Country Communion: Black Country Communion

photo: © Robert Knight

Black Country Communion is the latest incarnation of the supergroup phenomenon. This time it's vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (recorded with David Gilmour and Jeff Beck, played his father's parts at the Led Zeppelin reunion concerts in 1985 and 2007), keyboard player Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Alice Cooper) and leading blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa.

The debut album Black Country Communion was recorded in ten days at Shangri-La Studios, with Hughes bringing in the bulk of the material. Kicking off with his instanyly recognizable bass rumble the listener enters an alternate universe where classic rock still reigns supreme. Hughes still has his huge rock voice and Bonamassa has internalized more music form that era than he care to remember. Bonham is all over his kit, but isn't above keeping a straightforward beat to provide a safe haven for Hughes and Bonamassa. Sherinian is the reliable sideman, adding color to black and white rock proceedings and stepping into the spotlights every now and then to show off his skills.

Standout track are the slow Stand (At The Burning Tree), that might remind you of Soundgarden in their "Superunknown" phase with a Jon Lordesque bit thrown in by Sherinian, back-to-basics rockers Black Country and The Revolution In Me and the stuttering guitar in Beggarman. Single One Last Soul got them on the radio with a tasty hook, but it pails among the other ten tracks that are celebration of ten of years of musicianship that will wow the kids and please their parents. Black Country Communion plan to be on the road in 2011.