Blues Deluxe

Blues Deluxe is the third studio album by American blues-rock musician Joe Bonamassa. Recorded at Unique Recording Studios in New York City, New York, it was produced by Bob Held and features nine cover versions of songs by classic blues artists and three original tracks (two co-written by Mike Himelstein, one by Will Jennings). The album was released on August 26, 2003 by Medalist Entertainment and reached number 8 on the US Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.

Blues Deluxe
Studio album by
Joe Bonamassa
ReleasedAugust 26, 2003 (2003-08-26)
RecordedMay – June 2003
StudioUnique Recording Studios
(New York City, New York)
GenreBlues rock
Length51:22
LabelMedalist
ProducerBob Held
Joe Bonamassa chronology
So, It's Like That
(2002)		 Blues Deluxe
(2003)		 Had to Cry Today
(2004)

Named after the song of the same name by The Jeff Beck Group, a recording of which is featured on the album, Blues Deluxe was reportedly not originally intended to serve as Bonamassa's third album, but was ultimately deemed to be of high enough quality for release. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with commentators praising Bonamassa's renditions of several blues standards, as well as the quality of his three original compositions on the album.

Background and release

Joe Bonamassa recorded Blues Deluxe at Unique Recording Studios in New York City, New York with producer Bob Held and engineer Gary Tole.[1] Recording began in May 2003 and was completed by June.[2][3] Following the conclusion of the touring cycle in promotion of his 2002 release So, It's Like That, Bonamassa recorded a number of blues songs to "blow off some steam", after his performances of such tracks were well-received by live audiences. According to the album's press release, "The resulting masters were so compelling that Bonamassa and his label decided to finish the record and release Blues Deluxe".[4] The album features nine cover versions and only three original tracks – "I Don't Live Anywhere", "Mumbling Word" (both co-written by Mike Himelstein) and "Woke Up Dreaming" (co-written by Will Jennings).[1] Due to its abundance of blues covers, Brian Reiser of record label J&R Adventures suggested that "Blues Deluxe is Joe's way of asserting that he above all else is a bluesman", describing it as "a return to Joe's deepest blues roots".[5] The album is named after the song "Blues Deluxe" by The Jeff Beck Group, a cover of which is featured on the release.[1]

Reception

Commercial

Blues Deluxe debuted on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart at number 8, its peak position, for the week of September 13, 2003.[6] It spent a total of eight weeks on the chart, and is Bonamassa's latest release (and only release, besides his 2000 debut studio album A New Day Yesterday) to not reach the top five of the chart.[7]

Critical
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Vintage GuitarFavorable[9]

Media response to Blues Deluxe was generally positive. Writing for AllMusic, Mark Keresman praised Bonamassa's "fierce, scorching guitar" as the highlight of the album, adding that "If axemen such as Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, and Buddy Guy are your cup of tea, this Deluxe item is a necessity."[8] Vintage Guitar magazine's Dave Hussong hailed Blues Deluxe as "One of the best "traditional" blues releases from late in the Year of the Blues", praising Bonamassa's "diversity" and praising him as "bordering on peerless".[9] Blues magazine's Ed Mitchell named the guitar solo in the album's title track as one of Bonamassa's ten best in a 2015 feature, outlining that "There's a stripped down Chicago blues club vibe to this one. Shredding his lungs on one of his best early vocals, Bonamassa references Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King in his guitar solo, while adding flavour with variations in reverb, delay and shuddering overdrive."[10]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Upset Me Baby" (B.B. King cover)
3:35
2."Burning Hell" (John Lee Hooker cover)
6:50
3."Blues Deluxe" (The Jeff Beck Group cover)
7:20
4."Man of Many Words" (Buddy Guy cover)Buddy Guy4:11
5."Woke Up Dreaming"
2:51
6."I Don't Live Anywhere"
  • Bonamassa
  • Mike Himelstein
3:42
7."Wild About You Baby" (Elmore James cover)Elmore James3:39
8."Long Distance Blues" (T-Bone Walker cover)Bernice Carter3:53
9."Pack It Up" (Freddie King cover)
4:04
10."Left Overs" (Albert Collins cover)Albert Collins3:22
11."Walking Blues" (Robert Johnson cover)Robert Johnson4:27
12."Mumbling Word"
  • Bonamassa
  • Himelstein
3:28
Total length:51:22

Personnel

Chart positions
Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Top Blues Albums (Billboard)[7] 8

References
  1. Blues Deluxe (Media notes). Joe Bonamassa. Medalist Entertainment. 2003. Retrieved October 6, 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "Joe Bonamassa's Official Website". Joe Bonamassa. Archived from the original on May 26, 2003. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  3. "Joe Bonamassa's Official Website". Joe Bonamassa. Archived from the original on June 10, 2003. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  4. "Guitar Prodigy Pays Tribute to Blues Greats" (PDF). Joe Bonamassa. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2003. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  5. Ortiz, Patrick (May 13, 2016). "Joe Bonamassa's Blues Deluxe or Joe Becomes Joe". Joe Bonamassa. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  6. "Top Blues Albums: The Week of September 13, 2003". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  7. "Joe Bonamassa Chart History: Blues Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  8. Keresman, Mark. "Blues Deluxe - Joe Bonamassa: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  9. Hussong, Dave. "Joe Bonamassa – Blues Deluxe". Vintage Guitar. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  10. Mitchell, Ed (August 13, 2015). "Joe Bonamassa's 10 Best Guitar Solos". Blues. TeamRock. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
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