Over the weekend, Joe Bonamassa premiered the official music video for “Drive,” a moody, minor-key track off his new album, Blues of Desperation.
You can watch the clip, which finds the gear-loving Bonamassa picking a surf-instro-inspired line on a lovely vintage Gretsch, below.
“I want people to hear my evolution as a blues-rock musician,” Bonamassa said last month when he initially announced the new album. “[I'm] somebody who isn’t resting on accomplishments and who is always pushing forward and thinking about how music can evolve and stay relevant.”
The writing sessions for the new album took Bonamassa back to Nashville, where he’d written Different Shades of Blue, to work with some of Music City’s top tunesmiths, including James House, Tom Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele, Jerry Flowers and Gary Nicholson.
“These are some of the best guys in the business,” Bonamassa said. “Lyrically, you’ll hear the proverbial trains, mountains, valleys and other blues references about heartbreak and loneliness but there are also some poignant moments about getting away from the stressful, crazy demands of life and losing yourself with your special someone. I think anybody will be able to relate.”
Bonamassa and producer Kevin Shirley convened at Nashville’s Grand Victor Sound Studios (formerly RCA Studio A). In one intense, five-day period, they recorded 11 songs with drummers Anton Fig and Greg Morrow, bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese Wynans (of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble fame), horn players Lee Thornburg, Paulie Cerra and Mark Douthit, and background singers Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae and Juanita Tippins.
The disc will be released via J&R Adventures March 25.
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Blues of Desperation Track List:
01. This Train 02. Mountain Climbing 03. Drive (Watch the music video below.) 04. No Good Place for the Lonely 05. Blues of Desperation 06. The Valley Runs Low 07. You Left Me Nothin’ But the Bill and the Blues 08. Distant Lonesome Train 09. How Deep This River Runs 10. Livin’ Easy 11. What I’ve Known for a Very Long Time
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
