Royal Tea
J&R, 2020
9/10
Joe Bonamassa never slows down apparently, and here the bluesman returns with a more rock focused effort that was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios and includes a 24 page booklet to accompany the 10 new, original tunes.
“When One Door Opens” leads with strings in a highly elegant introduction that segues into Bonamassa’s signature guitar work that glides along with vivid storytelling, and the title track follows with six string acrobatics as soulful backing vocals complement the firm blues rocker.
“High Class Girl” lands in the middle and chugs with some classic rock spirit as gritty melody enters, while “A Conversation With Alice” is a dynamic and emotive display of power and grace. “I Didn’t Think She’d Do It”, one of the standout tracks, then gets wild and rugged with Bonamassa’s vocals sounding better than ever.
Deeper still, “Lonely Boy” shuffles with a punchy execution of keys, frisky percussion and plenty of dance friendly grooves in a boogie-woogie sort of way, and “Savannah” exits the listen softer, with a breezy approach of sublime, acoustic beauty.
Not so surprisingly, Royal Tea hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, which is where Bonamassa has landed two dozen other times, as he subtly pays homage to Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Cream on this superb Brit-Rock portion of his vast catalog.
Travels well with: Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters- Rise Up; Albert Castiglia- Wild And Free