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“I’m going through some other stuff in my life I didn’t expect to be going through. It’s a rising, it’s contrition, it’s acceptance, it’s everything. It’s painful, but knowing that there’s a rising coming.” ‘Redemption’ is 12 all-new original tracks, with Bonamassa calling on the band that has shared the road with him for the last few tours, something that pays dividends, as the band truly feed off each other. Anton Fig on drums, Reese Wynans on keyboards, and Michael Rhodes on bass; If you’ve caught Bonamassa with these guys recently, you know that combined, they purr like a Rolls Royce. Throw into the mix, the same stunning backing singers from the aforementioned tours, and you have a band in the true sense of the word. What might seem surprising is that Bonamassa has also called on a few rhythm players (Kenny Greenberg and Doug Lancio) to help out on the album. This is a master stroke, as it allows him to relax and concentrate on his vocals and incredible lead work. Beginning with a fantastic homage to Zeppelin on the intro to ‘Evil Mama’, Bonamassa doesn’t let up until the last strains of the sultry ‘Love Is A Gamble’ fade out out over an hour later. It’s obviously a deeply personal album, with titles like ‘Deep In The Blues Again’, ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds’, and ‘Stronger Now In Broken Places’, you sometimes feel like you are intruding on Bonamassa’s heartache. ‘Self-Inflicted Wounds’ is the show-stopper. The sense of hurt and loss bleeds from the speakers as he opens up; “You gotta lot of nerve blaming someone else for your mistakes”, suggesting that Bonamassa is blaming another individual, but as the song progresses, you realise that he is indeed talking about himself…”I’m looking for redemption, Love’s hallowed ground, I’m praying for forgiveness, And I’ve searched around… there’s none to be found”. How does he follow this six minute emotional tour de force? with the shuffling ‘Pick Up The Pieces’, that’s how. A fantastic live mix of ragtime and blues, with an incredible lap-steel solo. You want guitar solos? How about the head turner on the expansive title track? Couple that with the stunning slide guitar sound which bookends the track, and the sublime backing vocals from Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae and Juanita Tippins, and you have an aural delight that gets bigger and bigger with each listen. Same with the Moore-esque licks on ‘Just ‘Cos You Can Don’t Mean You Should’… massive. Then there is the stripped back, bare bones approach on the raw and emotional ‘Stronger Now In Broken Places’. Christ, this will take it out of Bonamassa if he plays it live. You can’t play a song like this night after night and not pay the price. Another way of looking at it is that it celebrates the human spirit that forces you to get up and get on with it. It’s not all darkness though. ‘King Bee Shakedown’ is bloody good rockabilly fun… rockabilly with bad-ass horns attached to it. ‘Molly O’ is more akin to Bonamassa’s towering work with Black Country Communion, and proves yet again, that Anton Fig is a beast behind that kit. ‘The Ghost of Macon Jones’ throbs and pulsates at a fair old pace. With a masterful guest vocal performance from Country artist Jamey Johnson, and a pivotal keyboard sound from Reese Wynans, this is Bonamassa thriving on the input of others. From great pain comes great art, and on ‘Redemption’, Joe Bonamassa has delivered his strongest solo album in quite some time. Available now on Mascot, Joe is currently on tour throughout Europe. All dates can be found here. Review: Dave Image on header: Rick Gould]]>
