Joe Bonamassa: British Blues Explosion Live Review
Joe Bonamassa releases yet another live CD! This is from the July 2016 show at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, at which this reviewer was lucky enough to be present.
As the title suggests, this is a salute to the Brit blues heroes, featuring the unbelievable music of Clapton/Cream (Mainline Florida/SWALBR ), Jeff Beck (opener Beck’s Bolero/Rice Pudding) and Jimmy Page (Tea For One/I Can’t Quit You). The solos were long and fantastic, whereas the backing from Michael Rhodes on bass, Reese Wynans on keys, Russ Irwin on guitars and keyboards and an outstanding, super energized Anton Fig on drums whose mastery of his kit brought to a spellbinding climax the initial proceedings with a dynamic solo in Led Zeppelin’s “How Many Times,” but possibly also some of the audience as well.
John Mayall, the Grandfather of British Blues, doesn’t escape the Bonamassa touch either, with a blistering cover of “Double Crossing Time,” segueing brilliantly into “Motherless Children,” which brings CD1 to a close.
Disc 2 kicks off with Cream’s “SWLABR, ” quickly followed by Zep’s “Tea For One,” a personal favorite. Yet again, JoeBo has nailed it, terrific throughout, impossible to select favorite tracks, just sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy, whichever format you choose.
The Review: 9.5/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Mainline Florida
– SWLABR
– Tea For One/I Can’t Quit You Baby
– Boogie With Stu
– Double Crossing Time
The Big Hit
– Double Crossing Time
Review by Clive Rawlings
