Joe Bonamassa is in the midst of a mammoth European tour right now but the blues guitar superstar isn’t one of the hardest-working cats in showbiz for nothing, with the Mayor of Nerdville today announcing his new studio album, Breakthrough, and sharing the title-track – and its lyrics – on YouTube.
Breakthrough, the song and the album, was produced by long-time JoBo collaborator, Kevin ‘The Caveman’ Shirley.
Bonamassa is best known as a bluesman but his style is all over the map, referencing classic rock, funk and old-time RnB, even prog, too – and that’s before we consider his exertions with the rock supergroup Black Country Communion, with whom he has a slew of summer dates booked in the summer.
But this time out Shirley promises us something different from Bonamassa. The über-producer had this to say.
“I think this album, Breakthrough, 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.”
Breakthrough follows Still Walking With Me and Shake This Ground and was written by another of Bonamassa’s go-to collaborators down the years, Tom Hambridge. The track is about “transformation, persistence, and letting go of the weight that holds us back”, and perhaps taking the opportunity to showcase what Shirley was talking about.
It has him working those spanky in-between tones, a strutting riff, all of which is liberally sauced with some gourmet overdrive. Those leads are particularly juicy. Bonamassa’s “amp shanty” has served him well. We'll need to find out after the jump whether he used Rory Gallagher's number one Dallas Rangemaster, which the Gallagher family gifted Bonamassa in February.
Breakthrough is out on 18 July through J&R Adventures and it is available to pre-order here. Bonamassa takes to the stage tonight in Liverpool, plays Nottingham tomorrow, and you can find all dates and ticket details at Joe Bonamassa. Check out Breakthrough above.
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