Joe Bonamassa - Live At Radio City Music Hall (Album Review)
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
Written by Simon Ramsay
Photo: Christie Goodwin
“Another one? Holy bank balance!” Joe Bonamassa has released what seems like his hundredth live effort of the decade and even hardcore fans will be wondering why they should be interested after shelling out for performance packages covering every stage of his meteoric rise. But 'Live At Radio City Music Hall' delivers unique thrills and spills to leave the faithful drooling.
While there's merit in the argument that Bonamassa puts out too much material, each release is crafted by people who genuinely care about giving value for money. That's certainly applicable to this effort, which not only delivers a 75 minute album and exquisitely shot concert film, but also a setlist different enough from previous releases to make it a worthy addition.
The only gripe is that the film contains the full show while the album loses some tracks, and subsequently rearranges the set list, to fit on a single disc. By placing the long acoustic section in the middle of the electric set it somewhat chokes the momentum, even though the quality of the music can't be argued with.
The concert itself represents a milestone for our generation's blues-rock king. As a kid from Utica, New York he'd long dreamt of playing the Great Stage at this iconic theatre and in January finally achieved that goal, bringing to town the half acoustic/half electric show he'd been showcasing around the world for the previous 18 months for its final bow.
The lion's share of material is drawn from 2014’s 'Different Shades Of Blue', with a snappy Trouble Town getting its acoustic groove on and the title track highlighting Bonamassa’s growing vocal prowess. But it's when the Les Paul is plugged in that the new stuff takes flight, even if the omission of Oh Beautiful! is baffling.
Where instrumental passages on 'Different Shades...' felt a tad too rigid on record, here they're let off their leash. Living On The Moon, Never Give All Your Heart and I Gave Up Everything For You,'Cept The Blues are electrifying as prolonged soloing and interaction with the band injects them with a massive dose of dynamism.
Likewise, So, What Would I Do? incorporates smoking saxophone and some cracking organ work from 'new boy' Reese Wynans. A recent inductee into the Rock ‘n' Roll Hall of Fame, the pianist – who would steal the show from a lesser artist - is a wonderful foil for the guitarist and the two have an instinctive chemistry.
Both Bonamassa’s regular acoustic collaborators and his big-band horn section shine throughout, but given the harmonies on his latest record it would have been nice to have some backing singers on stage to recreate them, especially as Love Ain't A Love Song feels somewhat naked without them.
Elsewhere, two fresh cuts make their recorded bow in the shape of a lovely Celtic-flavoured rendition of Daniel Lanois' Still Water and a brand new Bonamassa tune called One Less Cross To Bear. A classic bit of horn-propelled bluesy rock ‘n' soul, it suggests his next album might be another cracker.
A Bonamassa live release is hardly a novelty these days, but it's almost impossible not to be bowled over by an artist who is getting better all the time. Yes, bank managers are probably able to identify his fans by their annual expenditure, but when the music's this good, let's be grateful for overdrafts.
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