Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The Blues of Desperation never sounded so sweet as when played by a consummate master of the genre.
Much has been written over the last two decades about the New York born musician, so many gracious words, superlatives, sentences of content, that it could be reasoned by some that there might not be anything else that could be mentioned when it comes to the live performance of Joe Bonamassa. How little the words may be, but how powerful the music remains and as arguably the finest Blues guitarist to have strode the 21st Century so far proves in his first release of 2019, Live At The Sydney Opera House, that all the words in the world can never do justice, never truly capture, the work of one whose music is beyond reproach.
The two-time Grammy-nominated blues-rock guitarist returns, alongside Anton Fig on percussion, Michael Rhodes on bass, Reese Wyans on keys, Paulie Cerra on sax and Lee Thornburg on trumpet, with Mahalia Barnes, Juanita and Gary Pinto on backing vocals, on an album which sees previously unreleased tracks from Blues of Desperation, such as This Train, Mountain Climbing, How Deep This River Runs, The Valley Runs Low, No Place For The Lonely and Mainline Florida take centre stage.
For the devotee listening to the album there will undoubtedly be a stirring of regret that they would not have been able to attend the highly sought-after performance at the UNESCO heritage site, however, the sense of completion and honesty that Joe Bonamassa brings to the stage remains endorsed whether or not you can see the performance with your own eyes.
There are physical churches that bring you relief in troubled times, and there are ones that dominate the mind which can bring joy just by having the guitar serenade the soul, and despite all the words ever written about the Blues legend, there is still so much more to add, to hear.
Joe Bonamassa will be at the M & S Bank Arena in Liverpool on Tuesday 28th April 2020.
Joe Bonamassa releases Live At The Sydney Opera House on October 25th via Provogue/Mascot Label Group.
Ian D. Hall