Artists to Watch in 2014

While 2013 was certainly filled with some fine releases (see Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 Albums of 2013), 2014 has the potential to be a seriously great year for blues rock. Many premier artists are expected to release new albums this year. With several anticipated releases on the way, we let you know which artists with new albums should be on your radar in 2014.

Robert Cray

After releasing one of the better blues albums of 2012 with Nothin But Love, Robert Cray is coming back with In My Soul, due out April 1st. The album was produced by Steve Jordan (Keith Richards, John Mayer) and features mostly original songs with a few covers sprinkled in from Otis Redding, Lou Rawls/Mable John, and Bobby Bland.

Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa has put out solo studio albums pretty much every year for the past decade but finally took a year off in 2013, though he still kept as busy as anyone releasing a Grammy nominated album with Beth Hart, plus two live projects, and recorded live DVDs with Rock Candy Funk Party and Beth Hart, which are out this year. According to a recent tweet by Bonamassa, the album should be out this October.

Philip Sayce

After releasing his latest album Steamroller in Europe in 2012 and North America in 2013, Philip Sayce will release Influence in 2014. The album features original songs and a cover of Little Feat’s “Sailin’ Shoes,” which is now streaming on the Mascot Label Group’s Soundcloud.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Kenny Wayne Shepherd is back with a new album in 2014 called Goin’ Home, which was recorded in Shepherd’s hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. Shepherd made the blues his focus on the album and brought in some all-star guests, including Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Robert Randolph, and Warren Haynes.

Dan Patlansky

Dan Patlansky is one of the top rising stars in blues rock. He recently opened for Bruce Springsteen in his homeland of South Africa, and for the second straight year made Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 Albums of the Year. Patlansky will continue to push his way up the pantheon of blues rock’s elite with the release of Dear Silence Thieves this April.

Beth Hart

Beth Hart has been on a roll with the release of her solo album Bang Bang Boom Boom last year in the US and her recent Grammy nomination with Joe Bonamassa for Seesaw. This March, her new DVD/Blu-ray/CD Live In Amsterdam with Joe Bonamassa will be released in addition to a new solo album out this summer.

Rival Sons

One of the hardest working bands in rock today, Rival Sons recently finished recording a new album in Nashville with producer Dave Cobb. Dave Beste has now joined the fray as the group’s new bassist as the band continues to build on the momentum of Head Down.

Virgil and the Accelerators

Young guns Virgil and the Accelerators splashed onto the blues rock scene with their highly acclaimed debut album The Radium, which was voted #2 on Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 Albums of 2011. The group is set to release their anticipated sophomore effort this year, which they recorded with legendary producer Chris Tsangarides after running a successful Kickstarter campaign.

– Pete Francis