In his latest video, producer / songwriter / educator Rick Beato - who also has a popular YouTube channel, Everything Music - interviews blues guitar legend, Joe Bonamassa.
Beato: "In this episode I sit down with guitar virtuoso, Joe Bonamassa, a name synonymous with the resurgence and evolution of blues-rock. Joe, a prodigy who's been captivating audiences since his childhood, brings a depth to the blues that's both rooted in traditional blues styles while incorporating his classic rock influences. We'll be talking about his rich musical background, dissecting his unique approach to the guitar, and getting insights into his soloing style and incredible chops."
Bonamassa recently released "Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again)", the latest single from his forthcoming album, Blues Deluxe Vol. 2. This original song, written by Bonamassa and Tom Hambridge, demonstrates the 26x Billboard chart-topper’s commitment to innovation within the blues genre.
"This is a song that I wrote with Tom Hambridge, and we did a real Tower Of Power treatment on it," Bonamassa explains. "Now, the whole thing about Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2, we tried to keep the same ratio of covers to originals as on Blues Deluxe, Vol. 1, so we needed an upbeat song and I had this song kind of laying around for over a year. Calvin Turner wrote a killer funky horn part, and we just did like a Tower Of Power take on it and made no apologies about it. It’s just the nature of the groove and everything else - you have to tip the hat.”
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 comes twenty years since the release of Bonamassa’s best-selling album ‘Blues Deluxe,’ which celebrated what the US government had declared “the year of the blues.”
Released on October 6th via J&R Adventures, the album features two new originals and eight new covers spanning some of the most important names in the blues – from Bobby “Blue” Bland and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac to Albert King. Also available for pre-order is the Platinum Edition Box Set (limited to 500 units worldwide) which includes the CD and Vinyl versions for both Vol. 2 and Blues Deluxe Remastered along with exclusive items.
Order the album from North America at this location. Order the album from the UK and Europe here.
“If you had told me 20 years ago my career would last long enough to see the 20th anniversary of this little record called ‘Blues Deluxe,’ I’m sure I would have laughed,” Bonamassa explains. “Blues Deluxe was my last shot after being dropped by two major record labels and my booking agent. It was then that my manager, Roy Weisman, had his first ‘all in’ moment. We would go back into the studio and record. A record that would hopefully define the direction of whatever future career I might have.”
“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,” Bonamassa says. “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.”
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 tracklist:
"Twenty-Four Hour Blues" (originally performed by Bobby “Blue” Bland)
"It’s Hard But It’s Fair" (originally performed by Bobby Parker)
"Well, I Done Got Over It" (originally performed by Guitar Slim)
"I Want to Shout About It" (originally performed by Ronnie Earle & The Broadcasters)
"Win-O" (originally performed by Pee Wee Crayton)
"Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again)" (original song)
"Lazy Poker Blues" (originally performed by Fleetwood Mac)
"You Sure Drive a Hard Bargain" (originally performed by Albert King)
"The Truth Hurts" (originally performed by Kenny Neal)
"Is It Safe To Go Home" (original song)
