Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
The old adage of “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?…. Practice, practice, practice!” is much used when discussing musicians. It’s even crept into modern culture, with Brad Pitt uttering the phrase after carving a swastika into a German soldier’s head in Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Basterds’, but it will always be associated with music, and Joe Bonamassa sums it up best by saying “This is the last one on my bucket list. I’ve always wanted to play Carnegie Hall”. Well, now the bucket list is complete, the evening has been recorded for posterity, and released as a lavish multi-format piece of history. Unlike recent Bonamassa live recordings (Red Rocks, Greek Theatre, Radio City Music Hall..), this one is full-on… acoustic. Playing acoustic can be risky, but let’s face it, it’s Joe Bonamassa with musicians of the highest calibre (Anton Fig on drums? Reese Wynans on piano? What’s not to like?). Throw in some cello shredding (yes, this can be done) by renowned cellist Tina Guo, and get ready for some fast and furious foot tapping. Guo makes her mark early on as she adds another dimension to opener ‘This Train’. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the other players when Bonamassa is doing his thing, but here it’s impossible to take your eyes off of Guo and percussionist Hossam Ramzy. If you enjoyed the Robert Plant/Jimmy Page ‘No Quarter – Unledded’ project, then you will no doubt recognise Ramzy’s deft touch. This is one particular pleasing aspect to Bonamassa. Yes, he surrounds himself with incredible musicians, but also allows them the chance to shine. He seems to feed off their talents. The interplay between Bonamassa and Guo on ‘Woke Up Dreaming’ is phenomenal, and watch sparks fly when Bonamassa signals for Guo to unleash her solo. Not to be outdone, Bonamassa goes on to deliver some jaw-dropping string work of his own. One of the highlights from the most recent studio album, ‘Blues Of Desperation’, is ‘Drive’, a laid-back gem with such a smooth sound. Here, it follows much of the same structure, but Guo adds her own touch with what I believe is an erhu, an ancient Chinese stringed instrument. It adds a mystical, atmospheric vibe to the song, and again Bonamassa follows it up with a sublime solo of his own. Another recent track, ‘The Valley Runs Low’, provides another highlight with some gorgeous, subtle backing vocals from the three back-up vocalists that include Juanita Tippins and long time Joe Bonamassa associate, Mahalia Barnes. ‘Dust Bowl’ benefits hugely from the luscious backing vocals, but it’s the work from multi instrumentalist Eric Bazilian, and Wynans on the piano, that steal the show. Lest we forget, Wynans made his name with Stevie Ray Vaughan, and he helps give the song such an incredible groove, the speakers will slowly melt. ‘Dust Bowl’ leads into a stunning version of ‘Driving Towards The Daylight’, which can only be described as spine-tingling. ‘Black Lung Heartache’ was a personal favourite from the ‘Dust Bowl’ album, and the stripped down approach to the song is tailor-made for these surroundings. Another personal favourite is the hoe-down, foot tapping vibe of ‘Get Back My Tomorrow’, where Bazilian makes the banjo sound amazing. Backing vocalist, Gary Pinto, gets his moment in the spotlight too, but all of this is simply leading up to the two closing tracks. A version of ‘Hummingbird’ that will make the neck hairs stand to attention, especially when the three talented backing vocalists come in towards then end (If you caught Bonamassa on his recent tour then you will know what I’m talking about), followed by a version of ‘The Rose’ that would bring a tear to a glass eye, it truly is that good. Dammit Joe, you got me on this one, dude! ‘Live At Carnegie Hall’ is available now on the following formats – 2CD, 2DVD, Bluray, 3LP, more information here Review: Dave Stott]]>
