Joanne Shaw Taylor: Blues From The Heart – Live Review

June 10, 2022 Fidel Beserra 0 Comments Joanne Shaw Taylor

Joanne Shaw Taylor is a British and worldwide blues rock phenomenon. Her ability as a guitarist and her impeccable vocals have won the hearts of millions of fans around the world since she was discovered in 2002 by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics when she was just 16. With a 20-year career and several great albums released, Joanne never ceases to impress as she perfects her skills as a blues rock composer and performer. Back to playing live and touring after the two long and gloomy years of the pandemic, the guitarist releases a magnificent account of one of these performances: Blues From The Heart Live.

Recorded live at The Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee on January 20, 2022, the album presents Joanne’s playing mostly the material from her latest studio effort, the excellent Blues Album (2021). Backed by Rob McNelley (guitar). Steve Mackey (bass), Jimmy Wallace (keyboards, piano), Nick Buda (drums), Devonne Fowlkes (backing vocals), Kim Fleming (backing vocals) and featuring guests Kenny Wayne Sheperd, Mike Farris and Joe Bonamassa, the female blues rocker unleashes her electrifying sound to an audience that craved for great live music. The CD release is also accompanied by either a DVD or Blu-Ray, both capturing the performance’s contagious atmosphere and enhancing the overall listener experience with crystal-clear video quality.

The concert starts with Joane mercilessly ripping through the delightful, uptempo shuffle of Peter Green’s “Stop Messing ‘Round” while Aretha Franklin’s “You’ve Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody” adds an emotional, mellow layer to the record’s starting minutes and showcases Joanne’s underappreciated vocal capacity. The track is followed by Albert King’s funky number “Can’t You See What You’re Doing To Me” which features Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his majestic chops in a fierce guitar duet with Joanne.

Joanne is then joined by Mike Ferris on the thrilling slow blues “I Don’t Know What You’ve Got” and unleashes another memorable vocal performance alongside her backing vocalists. The three last songs on the set, featuring Joe Bonamassa, are the album’s finest moments, especially the haunting take on jazz standard “Summertime” and the laidback, R&B-like “Only You Know And I Know”.

Blues From The Heart Live is definitely a good addition to the collection of any fan of the genre and is a great example of why blues and rock are live music premier genres. Lastly, if the opportunity of attending one of Joanne Shaw Taylor’s concerts arises, do not think twice.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Stop Messin’ ‘Round
– You’ve Got Make A Fool Of Somebody
– Can’t You See What You’re Doing To Me
– I Don’t Know What You’ve Got
– Summertime

– Only You Know And I Know

The Big Hit

– Summertime