Joe Bonamassa - So, It's Like That

180 Gram Vinyl! Bonamassa Shines as He Explores Modes of Playing, Textures, and Musical Ideas!

As Joe Bonamassa grows his reputation as one of the world's greatest guitar players, he is also evolving into a charismatic blues-rock star and singer-songwriter of stylistic depth and emotional resonance. His ability to connect with live concert audiences is transformational.

In May '09, he played to a sold out crowd at London's Royal Albert Hall, arguably the most prestigious concert venue in the world. During the show, Bonamassa's hero, Eric Clapton, joined him on stage for a joint-performance of Clapton's hit "Further On Up The Road." London's The Independent said about the show, "The man has arrived, and there's no turning back."

In 2009, Joe was awarded the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award at the U.K.'s prestigious Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards and Classic Rock magazine has said, "They're calling him the future of blues, but they're wrong – Joe Bonamassa is the present; so fresh and of his time that he almost defines it." He was also named Best Blues Guitarist in Guitar Player Magazine's 2009 Readers' Choice Awards for the third consecutive year. Guitar Player writer Matt Blackett has said, "He's an old soul, and that comes through in his bends, vibrato, singing voice, and note choices, which – with each passing year – get more restrained and refined."

2009 also marked Bonamassa's twentieth year as a professional musician, an extraordinary timeline for a young artist just into his '30s. A child prodigy, Bonamassa was finessing Stevie Ray Vaughan licks when he was seven and by the time he was ten, had caught B.B. King's ear. After first hearing him play, King said, By age 12, Bonamassa was opening shows for the blues icon and went on to tour with venerable acts including Buddy Guy, Foreigner, Robert Cray, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker and Gregg Allman.

Joe Bonamassa's second studio album, originally released August 2002, topped the US Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Unlike other albums by Bonamassa, the 2002 album is comprised entirely of original material.

"Joe Bonamassa may well be a young guitar virtuoso, in line with the likes of Derek Trucks and John Mayer (like Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd before them) to be the Next Blues-Rock Guitar Hero... Bonamassa shines when he is allowed to stretch out and explore, on songs such as the sonically varied "Pain and Sorrow." There, on a long improvisation, he works through myriad modes of playing, textures, and musical ideas..." - Jesse Jarnow, allmusic.com

Features:
• 180 Gram Vinyl
• Import LP

Selections:
Side A:
1. My Mistake
2. Lie #1
3. No Slack
4. Unbroken
5. So, It's Like That
6. Waiting For Me
7. Never Say Goodbye
8. Mountain Time
Side B:
1. Pain And Sorrow
2. Takin' The Hit
3. Under the Radar
4. Sick In Love
5. The Hard Way