Different Shades of Blue Review (Page 2 of 6)

RickB wrote:

THIS is a breakthrough! CSM is stolidly mainstream. His IPO!
  http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Ar … s-and-more

Good news indeed but IPO I dunno.
(forgive my mood this week)
Joe has been in USA today and other major pubs. Plus fans offered way way back to invest in the Joe machine before J&R existed, mainly so we could get the tour info timely and perhaps some influence on radios or advertising. if they didn't take the offer then it would be silly to think they would now although I know you are kidding somewhat.

still great news. Good publicity is excellent! Thanks for the link

Joe Bonamassa has moved far past his initial incarnation as a kid guitar wiz with a Stevie Ray Vaughan fascination, and has developed into an elegantly reverent guitarist and a fine singer as well, bringing a little R&B blue-eyed soul to the blues. For Different Shades of Blue, Bonamassa co-wrote songs with veteran Nashville songwriters Jeffrey Steele, Gary Nicholson, James House, Jerry Flowers, and Jonathan Cain, then took 11 of the songs and tracked them in Las Vegas at Studio at the Palms with producer Kevin Shirley and a solid band of studio musicians including Reese Wynans (organ, piano), Carmine Rojas (bass), Michael Rhodes (bass), Anton Fig (drums, percussion), Lenny Castro (percussion), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, trombone), Ron Dziubla (saxophone), the Bovaland Orchestra (strings), and background vocalists Doug Henthorn and Melanie Williams. Bonamassa used 20 different vintage guitars for the project, along with 13 different amps, and lists each one in the liner notes. Consequently, this is an album about guitar tones, as each song demands its own and Bonamassa empties the tool kit. The best songs here, like the poppy and R&B-laced "Love Ain't a Love Song," the hard-driving honky tonk blues "Never Give All Your Heart," and "Trouble Town," a slice of horn-driven garage blues, are vintage Bonamassa, blending all of his influences, from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Rory Gallagher to Jimi Hendrix and Hank Garland, into his own voice for the blues. The clear highlight here, and undoubtedly already or soon to be a high point of Bonamassa's live shows, is the stately and powerful "Oh Beautiful!," which alternates between hushed vocals and slashing, soaring electric guitar breaks, a sort of 21st century version of Blind Willie Johnson adorned with tone washes and blistering guitar. It's a striking and timeless recording, and a great blues song by anyone's standards. The problem here, though, is that with the exception of the above songs, and maybe one or two others, the songs on Different Shades of Blue shade toward the generic side of things, and no matter how wonderful and gorgeous the guitar tones may be, it's hard to make a generic song sing memorably.

Standout tracks: Oh Beautiful!, Never Give All Your Heart and Trouble Town

*** 1/2 stars out of 5

http://www.allmusic.com/album/different … 0002697706

Allmusic.com review:

Joe Bonamassa has moved far past his initial incarnation as a kid guitar wiz with a Stevie Ray Vaughan fascination, and has developed into an elegantly reverent guitarist and a fine singer as well, bringing a little R&B blue-eyed soul to the blues. For Different Shades of Blue, Bonamassa co-wrote songs with veteran Nashville songwriters Jeffrey Steele, Gary Nicholson, James House, Jerry Flowers, and Jonathan Cain, then took 11 of the songs and tracked them in Las Vegas at Studio at the Palms with producer Kevin Shirley and a solid band of studio musicians including Reese Wynans (organ, piano), Carmine Rojas (bass), Michael Rhodes (bass), Anton Fig (drums, percussion), Lenny Castro (percussion), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, trombone), Ron Dziubla (saxophone), the Bovaland Orchestra (strings), and background vocalists Doug Henthorn and Melanie Williams. Bonamassa used 20 different vintage guitars for the project, along with 13 different amps, and lists each one in the liner notes. Consequently, this is an album about guitar tones, as each song demands its own and Bonamassa empties the tool kit. The best songs here, like the poppy and R&B-laced "Love Ain't a Love Song," the hard-driving honky tonk blues "Never Give All Your Heart," and "Trouble Town," a slice of horn-driven garage blues, are vintage Bonamassa, blending all of his influences, from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Rory Gallagher to Jimi Hendrix and Hank Garland, into his own voice for the blues. The clear highlight here, and undoubtedly already or soon to be a high point of Bonamassa's live shows, is the stately and powerful "Oh Beautiful!," which alternates between hushed vocals and slashing, soaring electric guitar breaks, a sort of 21st century version of Blind Willie Johnson adorned with tone washes and blistering guitar. It's a striking and timeless recording, and a great blues song by anyone's standards. The problem here, though, is that with the exception of the above songs, and maybe one or two others, the songs on Different Shades of Blue shade toward the generic side of things, and no matter how wonderful and gorgeous the guitar tones may be, it's hard to make a generic song sing memorably.

Standout tracks: Oh Beautiful!, Never Give All Your Heart and Trouble Town

*** 1/2 stars out of 5

http://www.allmusic.com/album/different … 0002697706

I do not agree that Trouble Town and Never Give All Your Heart are the standout tracks. Trouble Town is one of the ,ore forgettable ones.

TheKaiminator wrote:

Thought I would give all those who aren't lucky enough to be born in NZ or AUS that must wait another week for the album.

     The album starts with the scratch of a Jazz 3 over the strings of a strat, in the crunchy walk of Hey Baby (New Rising Sun). We get a short treat of the Joe we've come to know with his many covers, but this is the last time you will hear something familiar on this album, possibly a symbol for Joe's change of direction. We continue to Oh Beautiful! a thick, creamy mix of soaring highs and textured lows, a unique song for Joe's repertoire sure to become a strong starter in his live shows. Love Ain't a Love Song follows; an upbeat bee-bop style song with a rich mix of distorted tones and crisp cleans. It may sound out of place directly after the rocky Oh Beautiful!, but once that chorus comes in, it's clear there's something about this song that just makes sure it works.

     Next, be transported to another time with Living on the Moon. An upbeat, jazzy mix that both ballsy and sweet; backed up by the solid blues-rock track Heartache Follows Wherever I Go. A track containing strong vocals with lyrics you're bound to be singing along with and a solo that'll leave you in the dust. We continue the momentum into Never Give All Your Heart; when that lead guitar comes in over the first few scorching chords, you know you're in for a treat with this track. With it's punchy rhythm, awesome lyrics and tonal changes throughout it's bound to be a favourite of all you Joe fans; but that lead tone is sure to leave guitar enthusiasts tinkering with their amps and searching for that tone for decades to come.

     We dive deeper into the sea of blues with I Gave Up Everything for You, 'Cept the Blues, a 12 bar bluesy ballad of tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a rhythm that will have you grooving for hours. Next is the title track of Different Shades of Blue, the piece simply sums the album up so well there's no point to explain it any further.
     Get Back My Tomorrow, is one of the most unique songs on the album by far. With vocals that sounds eerily Black Keys over the casual crunch of the backing guitar with pinching accents and turn straight out of 1980's surf rock, this track will surely become a favourite of those who love Joe's eccentric side. Trouble Town cements this albums big band sound with a full bodied tone and chant riddled chorus will leave you humming for days.
     Lastly, we slow down for a soulful stroll in the song So, What Would I Do. Inspired by Cornell Dupree, this deliciously soft number features a lot of piano and vocals, the cleanest guitar tones of a hollow body Gibson and a similar styling to Joe's Asking Around for You. It acts as the perfect ending to a great blues album right from the first tink of the ivory to the fading hum of the amp at the end.

     A great mix of blues, that's very well engineered. With this album, not only do we see Joe open a new chapter in his life and career but we must also open up a new entry in the encyclopedia of blues for Joe has surely left us with something we have not yet heard before.

P.S. Sorry Joe, I'm usually more of a critic but I liked this album too much.

Great review, thanks.
It's funny you compared "So What Would I Do" to Asking Around for You...I can see that.
Honestly, I think it's more reminiscent of "I Don't Live Anywhere", which has always been a favorite of mine and for a long time signaled the end of every Joe show (as did Asking Around).
I wonder if "So What Would I Do" will ever find its way into the setlist as the closing number.

BTW, right now my favorite song on this CD.

ahhh thanks Rick. That makes a little bit of sense. it had hit me in a sore spot though. I wrote this huge thing last night in attempts to try to explain my perspective on a number of things this release brings to mind. I wanted to get some of it out of the way for good even if the things from other viewpoints keep coming up. I decided not to though as I couldn't pull it together succinctly enough and well it really isn't about me anyway. (See I have evolved a little - those who know my weirdness on this Joe pride I have) I didn't want it to take anything away from the glory of this release even though I feel some realities get left behind without the whole story as I acknowledge it. I mainly want him to get the credit I think he has deserved from birth. He is the man, the constant in the equation which will always affect the result in an increasingly positive way. The most significant factor.

Still need more listens to comment on the individual tracks but I am loving it more and more with each listen. Some parts that at first I thought didn't work so well for me on a track or two are now real important parts of those songs.

I absolutely love the track by track interview of Kevin Shirley in the digipack book. Those are the sort of details about the magic in the studio I have been wanting to know so bad. It helps me understand these songs. It also helps me realize how difficult the entire process is for Joe. I guess I used to just think that the music and lyrics Joe did write (quite a few in the Pre-Kevin days which are often ignored or minimized) was something that simply flowed right out of him without much tweaking. Sure I wish I could hear some of the first versions so I could decide for myself but knowing how he guided Joe and the songs to a better place with detail (like making them less pop or more unique solos etc) brings it back full circle for me and even makes more of the interview stuff understandable to me.

I have held off from reading Joe's track by track interview on music radar (I think that is where it is). I want to listen more before doing that. Sometimes I get such personal connection to songs particularly the lyrics that if I find out where his head was at it disconnects it again a little but I still love to know it. So glad for those details as opposed to just typical interview rhetoric. or reviews.

I also try to keep in mind the new fans that don't have the historical perspective I have so the stuff I have tired of hearing repeated is important for them to have at the begining of their journey. I thought so much about this stuff lately.

Its not about me I know, but of course I will never forget the sentiment Joe gave in the liner notes of You and Me. It actually IS about me (as the you, in his own words, which I have huge faith in the sincerity of) but there are mega amounts more fans (the me part) as there ever have been. I am feeling the whole next chapter thing. I started to balk at that too but man this thing is really going to take off.

Great cd Joe and Kevin and the whole team. I am so pleased it is something Joe is proud of and pleased with.
More about how these songs light up my life to follow!