Sloe Gin

I'm going to start off discussing one of my favorite albums by one of my favorite new artists, Sloe Gin by Joe Bonamassa.

Bonamassa is a 20-something blues/rock guitarist born in Utica, NY. He's influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, opened for BB King at 12 years old, and released his solo debut at age 22 in 2000 after a stint as Smokin' Joe Bonamassa with the band Bloodline. His guitar skills are top notch...one of if not the best new guitarists I've heard lately, and his songwriting and vocal skills are steadily improving.

Most of his albums are collections of blues covers of artists like John Mayall, and even Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin (some of my favorite artists, look for discussions about these guys later), with some originals scattered throughout.

Sloe Gin is his most recent release (2007). While most of his other albums tend to rock more, this one is very rooted in straight blues and some acoustic numbers, with Joe focusing on his singing as well, which previously had been often overlooked, although he does rock out on some tracks.

"Richmond," "Inda," with a sitar-like guitar sound and an actual sitar thrown in, and "Around the Bend" (a rework of a Bonamassa original tune on a previous album Had to Cry Today (2004)) all demonstrate his softer acoustic side. His opening track Chris Whitley cover of "Ball Peen Hammer" does its job, serving as a fantastic hook to set up the rest of the album. The Bad Company cover, "Seagull" was an interesting choice as well, but definitely not a bad one

"One of These Days" and Joe's dobro work on "Jelly Roll," a John Martyn cover are the more blues-rooted tunes, although "...These Days" has a nice instrumental interlude, complete with pianos and a slower guitar solo.

The harder rocking tunes, such as "Black Night" and "Another Kind of Love" (both covers as well) complement the acoustic one to help create a full diverse album.

Finally, the title track "Sloe Gin," originally appearing on a Tim Curry (yes, the actor) album from 1978 is just incredible. I had seen a clip of Bonamassa performing it live on YouTube before the release of the album and was fortunate to see him perform live last year and was blown away by his intensity of his performance. It starts off slow and deliberate, with somber lyrics about drowning sorrows and loneliness in alcohol, going home alone (yet again), and being left bleeding in the street, but what Bonamassa really brings to the song is his two guitar solos, the first played with such emotion that, to take a line from the Beatles, make it sound like his guitar is weeping, and the second going from slow to faster and rockier, without losing the sorrowful mood of the song.

This album is my favorite of all his releases, although as a blues fan I haven't been truely disappointed by anything he's done yet. I probably listened to it 20 times straight through the week it came out, and it is still toward the front of my most played lists almost a year later. Smokin guitar playing, improved vocals, diversity in his song selection, and another strong showing from his backing band make it a musically interesting release, and highly recommended for fans of artists like SRV, John Mayall, BB King, Gov't Mule or similar artists, or anyone interested in blues.

I would also recommend any of his work for people who love to listen to great guitarists. He has a nice blend of technicality, originality, diverse styles, a great tone, and lightning fast fingers. One of the best young guitarists out there today.

If you like this check out his other albums, specifically A New Day Yesterday (2000) and You & Me (2006)

I want to take this chance to say that I get a lot of information from allmusic.com, which I found to be a reliable source of music reviews and where I look first to try to find new music to check out (they have a nice recommended artists feature). I should never take any material directly from them, but I will cite them when I do. If looking for more information I would recommend consulting their site as well.