Well, Joe's done it again! Joe Bonamassa has a new release, Driving Toward The Daylight, coming out on May 22 and it is really consistently good. Although I have enjoyed Bonamassa's work since I first heard it, many of the releases has really strong tracks mixed with a few lesser tracks which were carried by the strength of his mastery of the guitar. This release,with only 4 original tracks is very consistent with the addition of Aerosmith's Brad Whitford on guitar, Blondie Chapman on guitar, Anton Fig on drums and percussion, Arlan Schierbaum on keys, Michael Rhodes on bass Carmine Rojas on bass, Jeff Bova and the Bova Brass, Pat Thrall on guitar and Whitford's son Harrison on guitar. This album has a more 60/70's rock/blues/r&b sound due to each players influence... but it's still Joe. The cd opens with Dislocated Boy, a blues rocker with a cool back beat. This song is constructed more along the lines of classic rock design (Lez Zep) where it's a great tune but you never lose track that's it's really about the guitar with a few blistering guitar solos. Next up is Robert Johnson's Stones In My Passway which is given given an update which sound quite modern but follows the footsteps laid by the British blues rockers of the earlier days. I really like it. The composition shows it's definite roots in the early blues and only tipping of the hat to the sons who brought the fathers of the blues to light... with a fresh approach. The title track, Driving Toward Daylight, is a ballad crafted to fit into airplay formatting again with a strong guitar interlude. Howlin' Wolf's Who's Been Talking? is well done with shimmery Peter Green like chords. It's delivered in a Wolf no messing around style and has a solo that compliments the track very well. Destined to be a crowd pleaser, Willie Dixon's I Got All You Need takes the format of a number of Bonamassa tracks from the past with the contemporary swing. A Place In My Heart written by Bernie Marsden, is a soul style blues track with a "singing guitar" solo like you might expect from Steve Hunter, Ronnie Montrose or David Gilmore but it's Joe behind the wheel and he has his own sound ....very nice. Bonamassa interprets Bill Withers' Lonely Town Lonely Street in a very cool fashion with alternating shredding and ripping guitar solos trading with the drums over a strong driving rhythm. Bonamassa's Heavenly Soul has clues to an old country western song by Stan Jones but done by over 50 artists through the years. Tom Wait's New Coat Of Paint is transformed into one of Bonamassa's great guitar showcase songs with some really cool guitar riffs played under the music as well as the strong lead guitar component. Certainly one of the strongest tunes on the recording. Bonamassa's Somewhere Trouble Don't Go turns on a straight up blues rock style track. There are some really nice guitar riffs on this track that may get past you if you're only looking for the extended solos. Slide work is nice and clean with some chicken pickin added in. Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes sings lead vocals on this last track, Too Much Ain't Enough, a 1987 hit by Barnes. This gets back to the R&B sound. Barnes has a great voice and gives Bonamassa a solid vehicle to play his guitar at will. Overall this may be Bonamassa's best complete release to date. I can't say that there is any one song that carry's the load like in previous releases as much as the cd is well balanced and enjoyable.
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