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Joe Bonamassa: Black Coffee

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: J&R Adventures
Released: 2018.01.26
Time:
 44:38
Category: Soul, Blues
Producer(s): Kevin Shirley
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.jbonamassa.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2018
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Give It Everything You Got (Edgar Winter, Jerry LaCroix) - 4:38
[2] Damn Your Eyes (Barbara Wyrick, Stephen Bogard) - 4:34
[3] Black Coffee (Ike Turner, Tina Turner) - 4:16
[4] Lullaby of the Leaves (Bernice Petkere, Joseph Young) - 5:44
[5] Why Don't You Do Right (Kansas Joe McCoy) - 4:35
[6] Saved (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 3:51
[7] Sitting on Top of the World (Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon) - 3:58
[8] Joy (Lucinda Williams) - 4:23
[9] Soul on Fire (Ahmet Ertegun, Gerald Wexler, LaVern Baker) - 5:02
[10] Addicted (Eva Engel, Klaus Waldeck) - 3:40

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Joe Bonamassa - Guitar, Liner Notes
Beth Hart - Vocals, Liner Notes

Rob Mcnelley - Rhythm Guitar
Michael Rhodes - Bass Guitar
Anton Fig - Drums, Percussion
Reese Wynans - Keyboards
Paulie Cerra - Tenor & Baritone Saxophone
Ron Dzuibla - Tenor & Baritone Saxophone
Lee Thornburg - Trumpet, Trombone, Horn Arrangements
Jade Macreae - Backing Vocals
Juanita Tippins - Backing Vocals
Mahalia Barnes - Backing Vocals

Kevin Shirley - Mixing, Producer
Roy Weisman - Executive Producer
Rob Katz - Engineer
Lowell Reynolds - Engineer
Ron Dziubla - Engineer
Ben Rodgers - Engineer (Vocals)
Bob Ludwig - Mastering
Jaramiah Rios - Engineering Assistance
Kevin Luu - Engineering Assistance
Bianca Poldermans - Production Manager
Dennis Friel - Cover Design
Christie Goodwin - Cover Photo
Dave van Hout - Cover Photo
Erik Kabik - Photography
Zoe Thrall - Studio Coordinator
Dale Voelker - Package Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Beth Hart first teamed up with guitarist Joe Bonamassa in 2011 and the partnership proved to be mutually beneficial. Hart gave the rock-edged Bonamassa some blues bona fides while the guitarist brought the vocalist to a wider audience. Plus, it was evident from their two studio albums and live set that the two had an easy chemistry: They shared a similar vernacular in Chicago blues and classic soul. The pair rely on that effortless interplay on Black Coffee, their third studio collaboration. Working with producer Kevin Shirley - a veteran of Black Crowes records who has been in the Bonamassa orbit since 2006 - the pair eschew straight traditionalism for a clean, colorful, retro vibe. Sometimes, the duo make choices that are perhaps a little too obvious - the covers of LaVern Baker's "Saved" and Howlin' Wolf's "Sittin' on Top of the World" are a bit on the nose - but they also know how to kick up the intensity on these chestnuts while avoiding sounding like they're on steroids. Still, the highlights of Black Coffee are the originals and lesser-known songs, as they reveal that there is plenty of common ground between Hart's testifying and Bonamassa's shredding. Interestingly, that common ground feels formal in a way their individual solo albums don't - respectively, Hart will delve into the personal spins on roots music while Bonamassa will indulge in blues myths - but that's the appeal: They're working on keeping the flame burning, and Black Coffee may be their most effective testament in that effort to date.

Rating: 4/5

Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music Guide



Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa’s third studio album of mostly soul and blues sticks to the formula of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” and it serves them well. Hart, a powerful singer also capable of nuance, is a good fit with Bonamassa, a guitar whiz with a wide range of sounds. They are bonded by their shared intensity, and the well-chosen repertoire, including many lesser-known tunes, gives them 10 opportunities to realize their potential. Etta James songs are a staple of the duo and here they take on “Damn Your Eyes,” from 1989’s “Seven Year Itch,” one of James’ multiple “comeback” albums across the years. R&B diva Lavern Baker gets two nods, “Soul on Fire” and “Saved,” while “Lullaby of the Leaves,” a ballad with a scorching Bonamassa solo a la Gary Moore, dates back to the early 1930s. Other songs include “Joy” from Lucinda Williams, Kansas Joe McCoy’s “Why Don’t You Do Right,” and the title track, Ike & Tina Turner via Steve Marriott. Horn arrangements from Lee Thornburg, tasteful backing vocals and excellent keyboard parts from Reese Wynans, who used to play with Stevie Ray Vaughan, all help “Black Coffee” percolate into a tasty brew. Album closer “Addicted” is a real gem, originally released in 2007 by Austria’s Waldeck. It has elements of a James Bond theme, shades of the tango and, unsuprisingly, a certain European vibe. Hart imbues it with passion, as do the Bonamassa and Wynans solos. The world is full of little underappreciated treasures. If Hart & Bonamassa and producer Kevin Shirley can keep finding them, there’s a bright future in the grooves for more albums like this truly fine effort.

Pablo Gorondi - Feb. 2, 2018
Associated Press



Hollywood isn’t the only industry that loves sequels. The music business is just as happy to rack up more sales by repeating an effective concept. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as the follow-ups are as incisive and powerful as the original rather than phoned-in replays to generate quick cash.

That model has worked splendidly for blues-rock-soul singer Beth Hart and guitar slinger Joe Bonamassa. They started collaborating on 2011’s Don’t Explain, and returned to the well for 2013’s Seesaw and a 2014 live double album, all of which have been critical and commercial successes. Now they’ve returned to their musical partnership with the potent Black Coffee.

It’s another compelling dose of rugged soul/blues inflected R&B covers, some quite obscure, as Bonamassa, Hart and producer Kevin Shirley (as involved with the song choices and arrangements as the featured players) reunite to try and ignite the sparks for a fourth go-round. That it works as well, and arguably better, than the preceding albums is a testament to the dedication, enthusiasm and sheer talent of the participants. Once again, this was predominantly recorded live in the studio, a process the musicians suggest is a major aspect of the electricity captured in the performances.

It helps that the threesome dug deeper to excavate tunes, only a handful of which will be familiar to most listeners. Hart taps into her love of all things Etta James on a sizzling “Damn Your Eyes” then shifts into noir jazz mode for a sumptuous Ella Fitzgerald ballad “Lullaby of the Leaves.” Someone must have slipped her a copy of classic soul shouter Laverne Baker’s greatest hits because she reprises two of the somewhat forgotten soul icon’s songs in the raucous and humorous Leiber/Stoller gospel rave-up “Saved” and a sizzling take of the mid-tempo “Soul on Fire.”

Howling Wolf’s classic blues “Sitting on Top of the World” is a showcase for Bonamassa’s formidable guitar chops. He’s no Clapton in the taste department, but he shreds with the best of them and these relatively short tunes force his solos to be more compact. Kudos to reviving Humble Pie’s gripping arrangement of Ike & Tina Turner’s title track, even if this is so close to Pie’s—right down to the backing female singers and slight lyric alteration– that it’s all but karaoke. But the appropriately titled opening “Give it All You’ve Got,” lifted from Edgar Winter’s White Trash debut, with its heavy wah-wah guitar and brassy horns is a killer find. And even if the duo references Bettye Lavette more than Lucinda Williams’ on the latter’s “Joy,” the husky voiced Hart has rarely put so much sassy vocal power into a song.

As the disc’s billing implies, this is more a Hart showcase than a Bonamassa one, even though his guitar, sprawling 10-piece band and producer are major components of the formula. Rather than an uninspiring photo copy of the previous collaborations, the fourth go-round of this feisty association shows that it’s getting better and tougher, whetting our appetite for the next iteration.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Hal Horowitz - January 26, 2018
© 2018 American Songwriter



Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa fans need wait only a little while longer for their third studio album Black Coffee. For those who have followed the grammy nominated duo for Don’t Explain and Seesaw, Black Coffee’s highly anticipated January 26th release date will seem much farther away than a number of days.

Multiple articles could be written on the first song, “Give It Everything You Got,” alone. It opens with Bonamassa’s distorted heavy rock guitar that wails with a powerful and confident intensity. This is immediately followed by a drum fill that introduces a trumpet section. Both of these sections match Bonamassa’s intensity, and yet do not step on the guitar line in any way. The three high energy lines work together, excite the listener, and manage to never overwhelm.

All of this takes place in the few seconds before Hart’s powerhouse vocals enter and define the sound that is to come. It is immediately clear that Hart’s voice is not ordinary. There are so many wonderful mixes of Janis Joplin and Nina Simone in her warm, rich, colorful voice, and yet even comparisons to great singers do not accurately portray the unique quality. Hart’s voice is of course technically impressive. Her range and skill level are notable, but the tones that she is able to achieve, both soft and gritty, are all her own.

“Give It Everything You Got” breaks from these haunting vocals to a very impressive and still supportive guitar bridge. The low range, thick, distorted guitar rests gracefully on top of a grooving and beautiful horn section. Bonamassa’s soul comes through every quick and skillfully played note in this section.

“Lullaby of the Leaves” is a surprising, exciting, but not jarring change in this album. Of all of the unique covers on this album, this song in particular is imagined by the duo in an unimaginable way. The creativity brought into this well known tune is done so purely, that one could think that Hart and Bonamassa had only ever read the sheet music to the tune before playing. Even so, the song remains true to the most beautiful elements of the song. It does not sacrifice the songwriting for the sake of arbitrary twists. Any decoration or melodic change is done deliberately and with purpose. Bonamassa opens up the bridge with the guitar, and raises the intensity in such a natural way. He gives the song the push you didn’t know it needed, and takes it to another place.

Not a single song on Black Coffee is a let down. There is something special and worth listening to on every single track. The way that “Joy” stands out among so many strong songs is a great feat. The opening lines are both rough and with a strong sense of captivating control. Despite the high energy, the level of control makes the listener feel at ease and excited simultaneously. As satisfied as you can be by the groove alone, Bonamassa comes in with Hendrix like phrasing and sensibility, giving the listener an even greater sense of ease that is made possible by nostalgic guitar lines.

The title track “Black Coffee” is a masterpiece in which Hart wows a little bit more with each passing phrase. The sparsity of certain melodic lines make the next coming line all the more anticipated, and Hart doesn’t disappoint. It’s thrilling to hear effortless vocal runs with believable grit and emotion. Hart could say “Black Coffee” over and over again in the same exact way and it would be exciting each time, however Hart’s slight variations serve to further a narrative more and more with just two words.

Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa have created an album in which all of the parts are completely working together and are in service of one another. Even if they weren’t masters of their particular crafts in the way that they are, the album would be a hit from sheer collaboration and communication alone. Separately these musicians are gifted, but together, they really make something special.

The Review: 9/10

Alexandra Veltri - January 18th, 2018
Copyright © Blues Rock Review



Bonamassa’s tireless work rate is at its most admirable on his duo albums with Beth Hart, which find him happy to sit back and showcase her vocal range. Seesaw (2013) coaxed Hart towards jazz standards. This return engagement focuses on soul. Give It Everything You Got is an opening statement of intent. The screaming Sly Stone-style funk original by Edgar Winter’s White Trash actually gets dialled down a bit, but it still lets Hart come over like Tina Turner, with Bonamassa her benign Ike. Black Coffee – an actual Ike and Tina song, popularised by Humble Pie – is even better, its truck-stop rock dripping with innuendo and crossing racial and gender wires as Hart gets worked up into a mighty, majestic sweat. Etta James’ Damn Your Eyes pays straight blues tribute to a Hart hero, as she fails to escape a bad man’s allure, just like so many of her own, autobiographical songs. Jazz standard Lullaby Of The Leaves begins in husky torch song mode, but gains interest with a brassy Bonamassa guitar solo, like a Bond theme played past midnight in a Chicago dive. When these rockers go reggae for Addicted, though, it is, as usual, a step too far.

Rating: 3/5

Nick Hasted - February 01, 2018
© LouderSound.com
 

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