Album Review: Joe Bonamassa- Black Rock

Hi all,
     My name is Surjo and I'm a professional musician. The music you're hearing (hopefully) is from my debut album 'The Key Has Turned' which you can buy here.

   The album up for review is Black Rock by Joe Bonamassa. It was released in 2010 and I heard 'Blue And Evil' from the album not too long after that on Joe's Myspace. I must tell you, that I just was awake till the wee hours of the morning, listening to the 4-5 songs that were there on that playlist, and just marvelling at how good and real and personal the music sounded. I definitely knew that this guy's guitar chops were capable of decimating the world, and Joe has only gone from strength to strength, all the while maintaining his signature essence in his recorded and live work. Let's dive into this album.

'Steal Your Heart Away' starts off the album with a whole blueprint for what is to follow. It's going to be mid-heavy, drum-heavy, guitar-heavy and with a whole lot of the blues juice mixed into it. I know now that Joe has a collection of magnificent vintage Les Pauls at his disposal, and I wonder which one is used to record the driving riff that begins the album. The guitar chords are being trilled for the title line, so take my cool points for a wholly unique idea. The Rhodes stabs when the bridge comes in was just so old-school pro. Btw, all Joe Bonamassa solos collect maximum cool points unless otherwise specified, so that's a given through the album. The verse out of the riff has some of the most unique guitar interpretations for the same chord structure in terms of rhythms, he uses muted rakes on the left and sliding chord fragments on the right. The words are fairly basic, a guy wants to steal a girl's heart and he wants to talk about it too. 

'I Know A Place' has a weird triplet feel, wherein it's blues but not quite. Maybe it's that the drums are playing it straight and not a shuffle. His vocal is kept slightly behind in the mix, and almost like there's some effect on it. The cool thing is that the main riff pretty much stays the same while Joe is singing all over it. The guitar solo also has some weird effect, almost like playing it from the back of a closet, which is the same effect that the vocal had. The bridge and guitar solo crescendo before making way for the third verse. Question, does Joe always have to sing so high in the registers?

'When The Fire Hits The Sea' starts off with a down-home feel good countryish riff, and there are a whole lot of music going on. The words aren't really going to be the standard bearer of this album, and it's gotta be accepted for what it is. The chorus vocal melody is pretty sweet. The slide solo is interesting especially with the effect that's on it. Kevin Shirley sure likes to darken his mixes. The musicians playing the album are so damn good that they can keep you going with just a bare bones groove. 

'Quarryman's Lament' has the flute playing a haunting almost Irish melody along with a bouzouki. The entire musical arrangement is very Irish/Scottish in it's approach and the vocal melody on the chorus is quite beautiful. The words are part of a quiet goodbye told by the departing worker. The music is quite beautiful, especially with how loud the higher frequency strings (bouzouki ) sound, which add to the sweetness of the tone and give it a richer feel. Just something to sink into. 

'Spanish Boots' is a Jeff Beck cover, and as soon as the riff starts, it has that almost acid edge that guitar rock from the 60s encapsulated. The riff is just nasty. The drums lay down just the most solid foundation to groove off of. The guitar sound is just delicious, oh man, forget writing, I'm just headbobbing. The interlude just has so much raw energy, and the band sounds so tight it's just overwhelming. Just nasty rock energy. Joe just has a way about his solos, they'll take you on a trip each time, even though the licks might be the same. 

'Bird On A Wire' starts off with bouzoukis and clarinet and some more of the Scottish/Irish feel. This song is a Leonard Cohen creation, and has Joe singing a few lines in a lower register, and he does sound better in the higher notes. The drum sound is very unique, and the song has a lot going on the stereo field. It's a ballad with that slow tempo and emphasis is laid on each note and stroke in the song. The song is one of asking for forgiveness and taking responsibility for one's decisions in life. 

'Three Times A Fool' is the blues shuffle exemplified, and it's almost Joe bringing out his B B King licks. Just that 12 bar blues, and nothing much to add to that. Guitar histrionics of course. 

Speak of BB King and here he is, joining in 'Night Life'. BB of course was the artist who gave Joe his first major break when he was 12 years old, so there's a rich history there. The song has quite a few horn parts in it, which give it that old school big band feel. The song is just about how the night life is meant for certain people. The contrast between the two artists is fantastic, Joe, the young eager technical master, and BB, the old guard, content with music, and which reflects in his spartan choice of notes, combine to form a nice mix. 

'Wandering Earth' has a really odd bass heavy intro riff. By bass heavy, I don't mean bass guitar, it's almost like the guitar has a heavy fuzz octave divider, and the inversions played are 5th first and root 2nd. This has to be the oddest song in the album in terms of arrangement and execution. The lyrics speak of a vagabond, and his story, till his eventual death. 

'Look Over Yonder's Wall' starts off sprightly, and has all the 12 bar qualities in it. But there is a filtered guitar and key sound on each ear occupying the sonic space. Ok, the lyrics are funny, it speaks of the dilemma of an adulterer who finds that the husband of the lady he is romancing is on his way back, and he wants to make a quick retreat. 

'Athens to Athens' might have something to do with where the recording of 'Black Rock' took place. The lyrics, borrow from Crossroads by Robert Johnson a bit, and there does seem to some sort of disconnect in the almost countryish vibe that half the album, and the really loaded rock that the rest of the album has. 

'Blue And Evil' is the standout in the album, with a raw punch and power that's just extraordinary. It's the music that carries it through though, the lyrics are just words. 

'Babe You Got To Change Your Mind' starts off with some studio talk, which morphs into a cutesy acoustic guitar riff. It's almost background music to a hero walking with a skip in his step in movies. There's not a whole lot to say about the words, with the first two lines pretty much summing it up, and the fact that it's repeated many times doesn't help in engaging the listener either. 

The album started off with a bang and was a whimper by the end, as happens with albums that derive solely on the music to carry it through, and even so the music got boring in a bit. But it is a must for the rock that's in there, for that's pretty solid, and Joe's an amazing guitar player, so there's that. Enjoy.