Joe Bonamassa
So, It's Like That

This guitarist with clear Italian origins is part of one of the youngest generations of American rock-blues guitarists: the same group that includes names like Johnny Lang, John Mayer, etc. As usual, musicians active on the American rock-blues scene of the last twenty years are almost unknown on this side of the ocean, or at least here in Italy (it happens that you go to France or Spain and they bring out a list of names that…). Anyway, I believe the subject is worthy, so I decided to review this album, which I consider the most heterogeneous among those I've heard.

The album starts energetically, with a great track of pure American rock, weighted down by the hard lines of the guitar: a very straightforward song with a very beautiful and very traditional solo. Next comes another fairly aggressive track, but with more of a Zeppelin-like flair. The third track would betray a funky nature due to the initial effected riff, but it quickly translates into rock, although softer than the previous ones. “Umbroken” decisively takes a turn towards a ballad, but it also has the most blues elements so far, thanks to the keyboard inserts with the typical Leslie effect. The title track is not too subtly a tribute to the Texas blues of the great Stevie Ray Vaughn (RIP). Track number six is another very beautiful ballad, and very much in the style of John Hiatt (I don't know if he is a bit better known than the guitarist we are discussing, but I believe so, anyway he is an American rocker a bit more seasoned than this one). The next track is slightly tinged with country, but the emerging bass lines lean decidedly towards blues. Number eight vaguely reminds of the first track in the breaks and the beginning, but it is more measured and more refined in the guitar transitions.
Now the best part begins, because nine “Pain and Sorrow” is pervaded by all the charm and madness of the best Hendrix. Definitely the most beautiful song on the album: over ten minutes of delirium where Bonamassa retraces all the passages that made the greatest guitarist of all time famous, perhaps with a bit more virtuosity, but with the same passion of the legend.
The following two songs pick up the blues theme again, but with decidedly more aggressive rhythms, at times almost heavy. “Sick In Love” returns to a similar vein as the first ones but with more flamboyant guitar elements. The album concludes with “The Hard Way”, a track that seems to encompass within it the summary of the album: there are acoustic and calm moments, seventies breaks reminiscent of Blackmore and Page, majestic and catchy choruses very American, and moments of delirium that sometimes degrade heavily.

Not a masterpiece at all, but an interesting and beautiful album that perfectly represents the versatility of a musician.