Review Summary: Joe Bonamassa redefines blues in all its different shades
Leaving behind the idea of releasing refurbished covers -something that worked quite successfully with
Driving Towards the Daylight- the neo-classic blues guitarist marks his return with some new original material. In his 11th studio album
Different Shades of Blue, Joe Bo recruits once again the industrious Kevin Shirley behind the consoles to manage mixing and production. Sound wise, the result is once again brilliant and with Bonamassa's delicate melodies decorating such background, it would not come as a surprise that the album reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Bonamassa spent 2013 touring and as soon as he completed triumphantly this circle, he decided to visit Nashville and seek for inspiration to write his second ever studio album with only original songs. As Bonamassa admits, his co-writers - James House, Jerry Flowers and Jonathan Cain (Journey) - have all contributed positively in this and made it "a great experience" for him. As it seems, this "great experience" worked very positively and influentially, and eventually led Bonamassa to the right path. A path that ends with Bonamassa diversifying his sounds but staying original at the same time.
Songs like "Love Ain't a Love Song" and "Living On The Moon" are a very good example of Bonamassa's experimentation in
Different Shades of Blue. Composed mainly around trumpets, trombones and along with a funky part, these two songs give a jazzy feel to the album without being alienated from the rest of it. On the same page it would be shame to ignore "I Gave Up Everything For You, 'Cept The Blues" which resembles a rhythmic, typical, old-school-rock-and-roll song. On a similar tone, the duet of "Heartache Follows.." and "Trouble Town" are not of the same standards but their inclusion in the tracklist must have been made to keep the consistency and the flow of the songs smooth.
However, this experimentation is just the tip of the iceberg. What lies deep down the roots of this release is what Bonamassa learned to do best all these years: delivering elegant blues/hard rock tunes. Having a Zeppelin's odour, "Oh Beautiful" has a similar muscular riff to the forty-or-so year old "Black Dog", while the country feel of "Get Back My Tomorrow" and the delicacy of "Never Give All Your Heart" contain some of Bonamassa's finest moments with the six string. His artistry is depicted brilliantly on the eight-minute sensational ballad "Scarlet Town", while the title track is an astute application of the same successful formula previously used in the "Driving Towards The Daylight" song.
In the last decade Joe Bonamassa has managed to become a reliable source of quality music. He has a modern finesse in his play that few could pull off.
Different Shades of Blue is above all cohesive, full of rhythm, harmonies and wonderful guitar performances. Don't let cynical comments about lengthy and unnecessary solos overcome you. The process of redefining the blues is a difficult one!
