Out today "Blues Deluxe Vol.2" from Joe Bonamassa
Today, the 26x Billboard chart-topper Joe Bonamassa has released “Blues Deluxe Vol. 2”, his new studio album, out today via his own J&R Adventures. In celebration of this landmark release, which marks 20 years since his first independent album, Bonamassa has unveiled the project’s latest single Is It Safe To Go Home, a standout from the album, crafted by producer Josh Smith. "I wrote 'Is It Safe To Go Home' specifically for this project and for Joe,” Smith recalls. “I can't believe what he did with it. The vocal and solo are some of his best work (in fact, he hits the highest vocal note he ever has on record), and it's just an absolutely epic performance and arrangement."
Check out the official video for Is It Safe To Go Home below:
“Blues Deluxe Vol. 2” revisits and pays homage to Bonamassa's musical roots, offering listeners fresh takes on classic blues tracks that have shaped his journey. The album boasts two new originals and eight covers, honouring legendary names in blues, from Bobby “Blue” Bland to Albert King. Both Vol. 2 and Blues Deluxe Remastered are available on 180 Gram vinyl, with the former as a gorgeous translucent blue colour for collectors.
Reflecting on his growth as a musician, Bonamassa says, “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. 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.”
Among the album's treasures is Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again), another original collaboration between Bonamassa and Tom Hambridge. "This is a song that I wrote with Tom Hambridge, and we did a real Tower Of Power treatment on it," Bonamassa recalls. Twenty-Four Hour Blues, a fiery reinterpretation of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s iconic track from the Dreamer album, boasts one of Bonamassa’s most potent vocal and guitar performances to date, while Well, I Done Got Over It pays tribute to Guitar Slim's 1953 release, and Lazy Poker Blues rejuvenates the classic song originally performed by Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.
Photo (c) Christie Goodwin
Featuring Reese Wynans (keys), Calvin Turner (bass), Lamar Carter (drums), Kirk Fletcher (guitar), and Josh Smith (guitar), additional highlights from “Blues Deluxe Vol. 2” include I Want To Shout About It, originally performed by Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and It’s Hard But It’s Fair by Bobby Parker. “I knew I wanted to push him really hard vocally,” Smith adds. “I'd heard him sing things just messing around or when we'd be producing for other artists that I'd never heard him do on record. So the songs were both chosen and written with that in mind. If you listen to the vocals on Twenty-Four Hour Blues and Is It Safe To Go Home, you'll hear Joe really going for it.”
Cited by Guitar World as “arguably the world’s biggest blues guitarist,” Bonamassa is known for taking risks and venturing into uncharted territory throughout his wide-ranging career. His last recent full-length Time Clocks marked his most raw, rocking studio album yet, with American Songwriter sharing, “Bonamassa pushes into fresh territory while staying within a blues-based framework,” and “there is more than enough proof in this sprawling set that Bonamassa doesn’t intend to rest on his laurels or take his star status in the blues-rock genre for granted.”
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 by Joe Bonamassa
1. Twenty-Four Hour Blues (originally performed by Bobby “Blue” Bland)
2. It’s Hard But It’s Fair (originally performed by Bobby Parker)
3. Well, I Done Got Over It (originally performed by Guitar Slim)
4. I Want to Shout About It (originally performed by Ronnie Earle & The Broadcasters)
5. Win-O (originally performed by Pee Wee Crayton)
6. Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again) *original song written by Joe Bonamassa & Tom Hambridge
7. Lazy Poker Blues (originally performed by Fleetwood Mac)
8. You Sure Drive a Hard Bargain (originally performed by Albert King)
9. The Truth Hurts Feat Kirk Fletcher and Josh Smith (originally performed by Kenny Neal)
10. Is It Safe To Go Home *original song written by Josh Smith
Blues Deluxe Remastered by Joe Bonamassa
1. You Upset Me Baby
2. Burning Hell
3. Blues Deluxe
4. Man Of Many Words
5. Woke Up Dreaming
6. I Don’t Live Any Where
7. Wild About You Baby
8. Long Distance Blues
9. Pack It Up
10. Left Overs
11. Walking Blues
12. Mumbling Word
Joe Bonamassa will be making only two UK appearances in 2024, on 3 and 4 April 2024 at The Royal Albert Hall. Tickets available here: https://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/#euspring2024
