JOE BONAMASSA has released “Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again),” the latest single from his forthcoming album Blues Deluxe Vol. 2.
The original song, written by Bonamassa & Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, Devon Allman) demonstrates the 26x Billboard chart-topper’s commitment to innovation within the blues genre.
“This is a song I wrote with Tom […] and we did a real Tower Of Power treatment on it,” Bonamassa explains.
“Now, the whole thing about ‘Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2,’ we tried to keep the same ratio of covers to originals as on Blues Deluxe, Vol. 1, so we needed an upbeat song and I had this song kind of laying around for over a year. Calvin Turner wrote a killer funky horn part, and we just did like a Tower Of Power take on it and made no apologies about it. It’s just the nature of the groove and everything else – you have to tip the hat.”
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 featuring BONAMASSA on guitar & vocals, with Reese Wynans (keys), Calvin Turner (bass), Lamar Carter (drums), Kirk Fletcher (guitar), and Josh Smith (guitar), is a poignant homage from the guitar-hero to the beginnings of his musical journey, giving new life to vintage tunes and capturing the development of the genre that the award-winning artist has given so much back to.
The guitar is liquid amethyst and gold, and offered with penetrative nuance…
Raw Ramp Music Magazine
Out October 6th via J&R Adventures, the album features eight covers spanning some of the most important names in the blues – from Bobby “Blue” Bland to Albert King. Also available for pre-order is the Platinum Edition Box Set (limited to 500 units worldwide), which includes the CD and Vinyl versions for both Vol. 2 and Blues Deluxe Remastered along with exclusive items.
“Part of my approach to these new recordings was that I wanted to see if I had matured musically over the years, and if I had gotten better as a player,” Bonamassa says.
“I’m happy to say that I am a much better singer than I was 20 years ago – though I still don’t really consider myself to be a legit ‘singer,’ I can now carry a tune a little better than I could back then.”
Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again) which is an original song by Bonamassa & Tom Hambridge— has upbeat rhythms that pick up steam right away, including juicy horns and a dash of rippling guitars. Perhaps you might envision Boz Scaggs playing a James Brown song at a free-funk gathering in Oakland in the middle of the 1970s and that’s the vibe on this number because of the upbeat syncopation and infectiously funky rhythms in the horn pattern. The energetic vocal variations and the splashy liveliness of the guitar produce a fantastic how-about-that sense of liberty. And the groove is crammed into what some may describe as a soulful but danceable metropolitan blues sound.
Twenty-Four Hour Blues (originally performed by Bobby “Blue” Bland- the official music video is shared below) is a refined & erudite number with some of the best vocals we’ve heard from this Bonamassa: coarse-grained and unflinching. The guitar is liquid amethyst and gold, and offered on this track with penetrative nuance. It is a flawless rendition.
Well, I Done Got Over It (originally performed by Guitar Slim) is a nostalgic slice of Nashville-style rock & roll, a little honky-tonkish is nature (which is no bad thing!) and clap-along swinging enough to get any party going! The guitar is a mouthwatering hoopla of vitality… and the voice is motivated and working-man hardhat conscientious. Brilliant!
Lazy Poker Blues (originally performed by Fleetwood Mac) is more effervescent than the froth on a gallon of yard-beer that’s been left in the noonday sun. It’s a jigging uptempo bustle of genuine boogie woogie blues: with bopping keys, rockin’ rhythms, and stuffed with exuberant energy.
File alongside: Peter Green, Albert King
Pre-order the album from the UK and Europe from https://lnk.to/joebonamassa
Words: @neilmach 2023 ©
Photo Credit: © Adam Kennedy
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