Wednesday 30 May 2012

Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards the Daylight

Briefly Examining the Blues

Exam work has been demanding and listening to music has been constrained, or more correctly has been restricted to the radio. But I listened today to most of Bonamassa's 13th album release Driving Towards the Daylight on an early evening treadmill escape from online standardising, moderating wayward marking, phone calls to guide and support, listening to scripts being read aloud, and pursuing my own prime marking load.

It's another great album from a great artist. His superb guitar work is surely beyond question. I used to enjoy his Planet Rock radio programme where he talked knowingly about the influence on his playing of other great guitarists and how he would always illustrate by playing perfectly in the style of his then focus. He possesses the true artist's gifts of instinct and work ethic.

There isn't time to review the album and you should just make sure you listen to it if you like soaring rock blues. There are covers of Howlin' Wolf and Robert Johnson - hardly a surprise - but also Tom Waits. In mentioning his expert knack of fully knowing and emulating great guitar styles, Joe delivers a fine echoing tribute to Gary Moore with the ballad A Place In My Heart that so clearly takes Parisian Walkways as its emotive model.


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