Blues-rock guitar legend JOE BONAMASSA heralds a fresh start this summer following a career of breathtaking artistic transitions that have distinguished a gilded career as this generation’s most notable conceptual-blues paladin.
On July 18th 2025, the acclaimed music maestro releases “Breakthrough” —his most ambitious and genre-defying album yet— via J&R Adventures.
The album’s powerful title track is the centrepiece of his inspirational call-to-arms. It’s a poignant and energetically full-handed, crowd-pleasing stirrer about finding sufficient inner courage to navigate the challenges of rock ‘n’ roll survivorship.
A crowd-pleasing stirrer about FINDING sufficient inner courage to navigate the challenges of survivorship…
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The 2025 album, produced by longtime friend and collaborator Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, The Black Crowes, Journey), drew inspiration from sessions in Greece, Egypt, Nashville, and Los Angeles. A vibrant sonic tapestry emerges, seamlessly blending Texas jive, sassy blues, beautifully illustrated ballads, and powerful rock, resulting in a captivating listening experience.
“I think this [album] marks a shift in the styling of Joe Bonamassa’s recording output,” says Shirley.
“While there are plenty of guitar solos on this record, his emphasis has been on songs primarily. Each time Joe undertakes a new recording project, he seems to access a different part of his vast library of music genre from the jukebox-in-his-head! This album is a round-the-world musical trip—from Little Feat funkiness to Texas swing, from hard rock power to acoustic singer/songwriter-style songs.”
Title track “Breakthrough” (music video shared below) was co-written with award-winning New York drummer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd) and is an inspirational piece about fidning gutsy tenacity in the face of metamorphosis.
The fretwork is hyperdimensional and squelchy...
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Breakthrough opens with a shout-blues rock pile, followed by a verse that’s laid across an inky bass. Sharp-pointed guitar and ebullient organ notes light up a super-gleaming chorus. And the fretwork is hyperdimensional and squelchy. This is a positive blast into a vital future!
Words: © Neil Mach
Main photo: © Ian Potter
Pre-order Breakthrough here: https://shop.jbonamassa.com/collections/breakthrough
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