Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards The Daylight
Genre:    Blues
Label:     Provogue
Release Date: 18.05.2012



Joe Bonamassa is back for his 13th album, Driving Towards The Daylight. The album was produced by Kevin Shirley and saw the dynamic duo return to Las Vegas for a back-to-basics album, which was recorded at the same studio as their first joint album, You & Me. Driving Towards The Daylight is definitely the bluesiest album from Bonamassa in the past few years. The album consists of four originals and seven covers. Kevin Shirley wanted to push Bonamassa out of his comfort zone and did so by bringing in a talented group of session players, including Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford.Driving Towards The Daylight is yet another fine performance from the blues rock titan. The album sees Joe return to the blues and in a big way. With this being Bonamassa’s 13th album, it may finally be the lucky one that sees Joe driving towards the Grammy.
Driving Towards The Daylight was produced by Kevin “Caveman” Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin), making this Bonamassa and Shirley’s seventh album collaboration in six years.

“We’ve taken some really traditional old blues songs – the Howlin’ Wolf song ‘Who’s Been Talkin’ and Robert Johnson’s ‘Stones In My Passway,’” says Shirley, “and we’ve tried to imagine how they would do them in a rock context. It’s a very exciting return to the blues in a very visceral way. It’s vibrant and it’s gutsy and it’s really, really rugged.”To move Joe out of his comfort zone, a unique group of musicians was assembled, including Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford (guitar), Blondie Chaplin (guitar), Anton Fig (drums and percussion), Arlan Schierbaum (keyboard), Michael Rhodes (bass), Carmine Rojas (bass), Jeff Bova and The Bovaland Brass, Pat Thrall (guitar), and Whitford’s son Harrison Whitford (guitar).

Brad Whitford, speaking from the studio in Vegas, said, “This is definitely more influenced by the stuff that the guys and musicians in this room love, early ‘60s English and American rock and blues. I guess we’ll never get that out of our system and its fun to come in here and find our own path down that highway.”The album features four Bonamassa-penned originals including the bruising opener Dislocated Boy, the road warrior’s title track Driving Towards The Daylight, Heavenly Soul, and Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go.

Other tracks include Bonamassa’s versions of Tom Waits’ New Coat Of Paint, Bill Withers’ Lonely Town Lonely Street, Bernie Marsden’s A Place In My Heart, and Willie Dixon’s All I Need. On the album closer, Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes sings lead vocals on his 1987 hit Too Much Ain't Enough Love.Premiering today, and continuing each week for ten episodes is "Countdown To Daylight", the new reality series of 3-4 minute webisodes, featuring interviews with Joe and his band as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the band recording Driving Towards The Daylight in the studio.

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