NYS Music 202​0

Category: Genres

  • Opera Saratoga to Collab with Caffe Lena for AMERICA SINGS

    Opera Saratoga has announced the first performance events as the start to the company’s 60th Anniversary Season. On Thursday, November 19, in partner with Caffe Lena, Opera Saratoga will launch AMERICA SINGS, a monthly concert series featuring diverse, internationally acclaimed artists.

    AMERICA SINGS

    The series looks to amplify the voices of artists from racial groups historically underrepresented on the concert stage and features a wide array of classical, jazz, and popular music. “Our focus on BIPOC artists in this series is one of our first steps in a multi-pronged plan to address diversity and equity not only in our programming at Opera Saratoga, but in the organization as a whole,” explained Lawrence Edelson, Opera Saratoga’s Artist and General Director.

    All AMERICA SINGS concerts in this series will be live streamed to the public for free, but viewers are encouraged to contributee through a virtual tip jar. All tips received will be split equally between Opera Saratoga and the artists, providing much-needed support to the artists impacted by the shutdown.

    Mezzo soprano Deborah Nansteel, who was featured in Opera Saratoga’s 2018 production of The Consul, will open the series on Thursday, November 19th at 7pm with pianist Giovanni Reggioli. This first concert will feature music by George Gershwin, Billy Strayhorn, Richard Rogers, Erroll Garner, Richard Wagner, and William Bolcom, along with a selection of traditional spirituals. 

    AMERICA SINGS
    Deborah Nansteel

    The December concert will take place on Wednesday, December 30th at 7pm, and will feature soprano Brandie Sutton with pianist and composer Damien Sneed, both debuting with the company at the turn of the new year. The series will continue through the 2021, with additional concerts to be announced early next year

    The events will be live streamed from Caffe Lena’s Youtube Channel as well as the Facebook pages of both Opera Saratoga and Caffe Lena.

    “The onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the racial awakening that has been taking place across the country, and the polarizing political climate leading up to the election has energized artists. While many singers have not been able to perform for live audiences due to the pandemic, they are engaged and craving the opportunity to share the transformative power of song and the intersection between music and what is happening in our country with audiences. I have not programmed this series, other than to invite an incredible group of artists to join us in Saratoga Springs. Rather, I have asked each artist to curate their own concert – to share music with us that speaks to how they are feeling about America today. I cannot wait to hear what each artist brings to us as they share their personal experience and perspective through the power of their incredible voices.”

  • Watch the George Floyd-inspired “The Ultimate Litmus” featuring Wynton Marsalis

    The election may be over, but the people and causes that pushed for change are still making their voices heard. “The Ultimate Litmus” was written by Carlos Henriquez and Jenny Hersch, in response to the protests sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd. The pair have produced an accompanying music video for the song, featuring Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis on both vocals and trumpet.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5N6FCNN8X4

    Hersch says of the song,

    I wrote a verse of poetry on June 2. It just poured out. On June 9, I wrote verses two and three. I have poetic thoughts but I don’t often write them down. Carlos Henriquez (bassist and arranger, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra) and I have worked on several projects together over the past few years involving music for kids. I sent him the lyrics and asked him to write a brass band arrangement.

    Jenny Hersch

    Using a New Orleans street sound seemed to be the best choice given the circumstances behind the lyrics, with emotion and energy being simultaneously expressed.

    I gave the vocals a try in a rhythmic spoken-word style over Carlos’s MIDI file and immediately called Bryan R. Smith, a photographer friend in NYC to ask for the use of the protest pictures he took in New York, Washington D.C. and Minnesota. Carlos then called Dwight Adams (trumpet), Jeffrey Miller (trombone), Ibanda Ruhumbika (tuba) and Ali Jackson (percussion) to record their parts from home.

    Jenny Hersch

    With the track laid down, Carlos played a rough audio mix of “The Ultimate Litmus” for Wynton Marsalis in early September. Marsalis was moved by the project and offered to recorded the vocal track and a trumpet solo, which he did in early October.

    the ultimate litmus
    Protesters walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer on June 6, 2020 in New York. Photo by Bryan Smith

    The video was assembled by a team of recent Berklee College graduate Alex Leiva (sound) and Shannon Magnaldi (video), a recent Massachusetts College of Art grad. “The Ultimate Litmus” features Dwight Adams and Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, Jeffery Miller (trombone), Ibanda Ruhumbika (tuba), and Ali Jackson (percussion).

    Lyrics for The Ultimate Litmus, by Jenny Hersch

    A bottomless pit of pandemonium
    A breaking point?
    A tipping point?
    No quick fix outcome

    A state of being?
    A state of mind?
    Is it an absence of mind?
    Where is the presence of mind?

    Confusion …. Delusion
    No illusions
    No stop gap brawl
    In it for the long haul

    A faction reaction
    No abstraction
    Identity …. Integrity
    Conformity …. Community

    Relationships based on tolerance not trust?
    Is it them or is it US?

    Protest
    No contest
    24    7
    With no rest

    Pros and cons
    A long list at best
    Overwhelmed by stress
    In need of a life vest

    Constitution …. Restitution
    Persecution …. Absolution
    Abusers …. Accusers
    For the foreseeable future

    Civic values
    Civic virtue
    Reeling …. kneeling
    Rail against the curfew

    Fleet of feet
    Running from a browbeat
    Bias
    Is a one way street

    Who will bear witness
    The ultimate litmus
    A test of wills
    What values instilled

    No justice
    No peace
    May wonders
    NEVER cease

    ACTION
    Is gaining traction
    Words are not enough
    Need satisfaction

    Lines of questioning
    Is what we’re expecting
    Fear of the unknown
    Will compassion be shown

    What is the hold up
    We’re all thunderstruck
    No sit down strike
    Throngs are running amok

    Painted into a corner
    No clear path forward
    Blurred on the periphery
    The slope is very slippery

    Tears are to be expected
    We’re so disconnected
    Celebrate our differences
    While honoring our preferences

    Human rights
    Are bona fide
    Like clockwork
    Like predicting the tides

    400 years
    Of victimization
    We need a DO-OVER
    In this nation

  • Upstate Home of Aaron Copland to Host NPR Tiny Desk Concert

    National Public Radio has announced a very special program featuring instrumental works by Oscar-winning composer Aaron Copland. Streaming from inside Aaron Copland’s home studio in Upstate New York on November 13 at 5 a.m, like all Tiny Desk Concerts, the performance will be available to stream on the NPR Tiny Desk page indefinitely.

    In fact, the concert takes place a day before what would have been Aaron Copland’s 120th birthday.

    Aaron Copland
    Top: Composer Aaron Copland
    Bottom Left to Right: Carol Wincenc (flutist), Curtis Macomber (violinist), Michael Boriskin (Copland House Artistic and Executive Director)

    Artists from the internationally-acclaimed Music from Copland House (MCH) ensemble will perform a variety of selections from Copland’s library. Duo for Flute and Piano, composed in that very room; Sonata for Violin and Piano and Three Moods for Piano are all part of the set list.

    Born in Brooklyn, his peers and critics referred to Copland as “the Dean of American Composers.” Making a home in New York’s lower Hudson Valley for 30 years, Copland passed in 1990. After the composer’s death, the estate was marked a National Historic Landmark. Revered as a first-of-its kind creative center for American music, the estate is the composer’s only U.S. home. Devoted to championing America’s rich musical heritage through a broad range of public, educational, and informational programs, its activities uniquely embrace the entire artistic process, from creation and development to study, presentation, and preservation. The Music from Copland House ensemble is the entity’s touring residence which journeys across 150 years of the American musical landscape in concerts, recordings, and other programs.

    Tiny Desk Concerts are a video series of live concerts hosted at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. Currently, the acclaimed series is hosted in the home of artists across the globe due to COVID-19. In October, NYC’s pop duo Gracie and Rachel joined the growing list of at home Tiny Desk Concerts.

  • Photo Gallery: Goose Celebrate a Delayed Halloween at South Farms

    Indie-Jam darlings Goose returned to South Farms for their Halloween shows, held November 6 and 7. The week delay was due in part to the torrential rain that hit the Northeast in the last days of October, causing the ground to be too soft for vehicles to enter in Morris, CT. Fans didn’t seem to mind. Celebrating a week late, and turned out in costumes, they were ready for one final dose of Goose Drive-In shows.

    goose halloween

    The shows brought out fans, good jams and a couple debuts from Goose. In the first set of Friday night’s show, “It Burns Within” was busted out for the first time since 2014. The second set saw the debut of pre-Goose band Vasudo’s “Empress of Organos,” which segued into a cover of The Band’s “Don’t Do It,” a fan favorite. Later in the same set, the new “Earthling or Alien” debuted, with pro-shot footage released from the set.

    Setlist: Goose at South Farms, Morris, CT – Friday, November 6, 2020

    Set 1: Lily’s Tiger > Butter Rum, The Whales, It Burns Within, All I Need > Secret Agent Man, Into the Myst
    Set 2: Empress of Organos* > Don’t Do It, Creatures > Honeybee, Your Ocean, Earthling or Alien?^, Yeti
    Encore: Ghostbusters Rap
    *First Time Played
    ^debut

    Saturday was ‘Halloween’ for fans, with costumes galore and the final show for Goose this Drive-In season. A theme of ‘Donnie Darko at The Farms’ reflected on the 2001 cult-hit Donnie Darko, with band members wearing costumes related to the movie – Ric Mitarotonda in the title character’s skeleton costume and Trevor Weeks playing the role of Darko’s imaginary rabbit friend, Frank.

    Debuts were on tap throughout the night, with an apropos cover of Echo & The Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” hitting on the Halloween and Donnie Darko theme to start the night. Two bands from the 80s and 90s were found at the end of Set one and start of Set two, with Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels” and Duran Duran’s “Notorious,” respectively. Original pairing “Seekers on the Ridge pt. 1” > “Seekers on the Ridge pt. 2” came in the middle of Set two, ahead of the ever popular “Hot Tea” and “Wysteria Lane.” A little more Tears for Fears came in the form of “Mad World” to wrap up the themed affair.

    Setlist: Goose at South Farms, Morris, CT – Saturday, November 7, 2020

    Set 1: The Killing Moon*, Arrow, Doobie Song, Slow Ready, Jive 1 > Jive Lee, Head Over Heels*

    Set 2: Notorious*, Tumble, Seekers on the Ridge pt. 1* > Seekers on the Ridge pt. 2*, Hot Tea, Wysteria Lane> Head Over Heels Reprise

    Encore: Mad World

    * debut

    photos by Chad Anderson

    “Halloween” night

  • Cassandra Kubinski is Ready to Build on Her Versatility

    Cassandra Kubinski is a “storytelling oriented, piano-driven, theatrical pop” singer/songwriter from Saratoga Springs. Her passion for music from a young age propelled her into a successful career with Billboard charting albums. Kubinski’s career has already linked her to artists like Chris Botti, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Mary Ramsey of 10,000 Maniacs. Since her 2005 debut, Kubinski’s development as an artist continues to showcase her unlocked talent waiting to be released.

    Cassandra Kubinski
    Cassandra Kubinski

    A Musical Introduction

    Growing up, Kubinski listened to a variety of artists because of her parent’s eclectic musical taste. Billy Joel, Carole King, Jackson Browne, and Joni were all a frequent part of the Kubinski’s family’s rotation of music. Kubinski’s theatrical exposure to Bette Midler, Guys and Dolls, Barbra Streisand, and Pippen shaped her into becoming a musical storyteller. Kubinski has even garnered praise from her musical idol, Billy Joel.

    “Billy Joel is embedded in my DNA. My parents were listening to his music and loving him before I was even a twinkle in their eye. His storytelling, passionate vocals, and rogue piano playing style influenced me when I decided to be a songwriter,” Kubinski said.

    During a 2008 concert in New York City, Kubinski’s dream of meeting Billy Joel came true. The full-circle moment of meeting her childhood music idol is one of the most memorable and surreal moments as an artist for Kubinski. If Billy Joel is willing, Kubinski would love to add a possible collaboration to her musical resume. Kubinski’s other musical hopes include opening up for Billy Joel, Jason Mraz, and Rob Thomas on tour one day. While the pandemic canceled touring for most artists, Kubinski looks forward to having a face-to-face interaction with concert audiences again. Performing at music venues with a beautiful outdoor component like Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and Humphreys Concerts By The Bay in San Diego are at the top of her list.

    The Journey

    While Kubinski’s musical aspirations keep her motivated as an artist, she has already amassed a couple of well-deserved accolades. Onward charted #97 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album chart in 2016, while Holiday Magic charted #46 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album chart in 2017. In 2020, Kubinski has released her “Stardust,” “Back to Earth,” and “Stardust (DJ Taz Rashid Remix)” singles. “Stardust” highlights Kubinski’s “epic pop and piano sound” with the combination of positive lyrics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kubinski has gained a new perspective of how her songs can take on a different meaning from their initial release. “Dreams” started as a “whimsical look of a bittersweet moment of willing to let go because a better dream is coming” and now has a different significance of embracing the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic.

     I didn’t write “Stardust” in the pandemic I wrote it years ago. Since releasing it during the pandemic, I’ve heard from fans it was a sentiment they needed to hear to feel connected to something bigger, connected to nature, and reminded that they have power. This pandemic has made a lot of people feel very helpless and powerless. “Stardust” is about claiming and reclaiming your power. It takes on that meaning even though that’s not what I wrote it about,” Kubinski said.

    Cassandra Kubinski and Tony Daniels shot the “Stardust” music video before the COVID-19 pandemic

    What’s Next

    Looking ahead, Kubinski is already working on a song with Hannah Grace Colin from “Dance Moms.” Her upcoming song “Eternity” with DJ Sol Rising is a follow up to “Stardust” and is set to release in early January. As fans can look forward to more music, Kubinski continues to progress as an overall artist. From the release of her first album, Hold The Sun to her latest single “Stardust,” Kubinski has honed her ability and confidence to lead as an artist with a specific creative direction in mind. “Trust your vision,” Kubinski said. “When you see something for yourself, work on it, and do it. That’s your vision for a reason and you’re the one that has to execute on that vision.”

    Cassandra Kubinski
    Cassandra Kubinski

  • Celebrated Cuban Percussionist Cándido Camero Dies at 99

    Cuban percussionist Cándido Camero passed away on Nov. 7, 2020. Camero was 99 years old and was a well known, and loved, pioneer of Afro-Cuban jazz genre. He was an innovator in conga drumming. 

    Cándido Camero died peacefully at his home in New York on Saturday morning according to Camero’s grandson, Julian, told NPR member station WBGO of the sad news. Despite his age Cándido Camero played music up until the very end. 

    Cándido Camero
    Cándido Camero performs with Paquito D’Rivera at Flushing Town Hall (November 2019)

    He was born in San Antonio de los Baños, near Havana, in Cuba on April, 22 1921. His parents were Caridad Guerra and Cándido Camero. He moved to New York in 1946 and was “already a well-known musician in Havana as a percussionist and also for playing the Cuban tres, a folkloric guitar. He spent eight years playing at the famed Tropicana nightclub, backing the biggest Cuban stars of the day and counted the young Mongo Santamaría among his bandmates” according to NPR’s article. 

    Throughout the years Cándido Camero became a well known and extraordinary pioneer of the Latin Jazz genre and played with the best of the best throughout the years. Some of the big names he performed with include Charlie Parker, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, and Machito. He is known for being one of the first percussionists to play multiple congas at the same time, with each conga tuned to a different pitch, enabling him to play not only rhythm but melodies. 

    His biggest mainstream track came in 1979 with his disco recordings for Salsoul. He recorded several albums for the audiophile label Chesky Records. One of these records included Inolvidable, with Graciela, which earned him a nomination at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. He was still playing and performing live up until the end. Back in Sept. of 2019 he joined Flushing Town Hall to celebrate their season’s launch with a performance from Canadian Afro-Cuban artists Jane Bunnett & Maqueque. He then returned in November to perform with the Gathering of the Masters alongside fellow greats Paquito D’Rivera, Joanne Brackeen, Jimmy Owens, Jimmy Cobb, and Reggie Workman. 

    Cándido Camero will be greatly missed from the music community. We mourn his loss and send our condolences to his family and friends.

  • Black Suit Youth Release Environmental Anthem “The World Is Almost Over”

    Alternative rock band from New York City, Black Suit Youth, released their new environmental anthem “The World Is Almost Over,” on October 30. The release date for their upcoming 5th LP, The World is Almost Over, is set for 2021 and will feature the newly released single.

    Black Suit Youth

    Black Suit Youth blends a combination of punk rock, classic rock and indie rock into their music. The four-person group includes Bryan Maher (vocals/guitar), Fed Canalos (guitar), Juan Orellana (bass), and Ray Mazza (drums). The group’s original name started out as The New York Dynamite in 2004. In 2007, the band changed their name and released their debut album Our Future is History.

    A song they eventually scrapped called “A Black Suit For My Youth” inspired the group’s name change. Since their formation, they have has released seven projects and had 10 different members throughout the group’s tenure. The band has amassed various touring experiences including opening up for acts such as Story of the Year, Alien Ant Farm, The Undead, and more. Following their 2017 release of their LP False South, Black Suit Youth looks to lean toward a new musical direction while maintaining their usual punk rock style.

    The song is about the reality that we all see, but often ignore things while we deal with our immediate troubles. At some point, the bigger picture is going to become too big to ignore and it may already be too late to do anything about it. History is happening all around us and it gave us the opportunity to film in a desolate, boarded up Times Square, something you’d normally only see in a post-apocalyptic movie.

    Black Suit Youth

    Read More Black Suit Youth on NYS Music

    In 2016, they signed to 59 X Records and released False South in 2017. Black Suit Youth single The World Is Almost Over will be their second project released under the label.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Us6QDQb7BI&feature=youtu.be

    Here is a look at the lyrics for “The World Is Almost Over” :

    When we were young they said our future would be so bright we’d have to wear shades 
    Well there weren’t completely wrong 
    It’s gonna be so hot we’re gonna melt in our graves 
    Now we’re lost inside a mindless paper chase 
    As the oxygen is leaking into space 
    Yeah the worlds almost over 
    Throw a life preserver to a drowning polar bear 
    Yeah the worlds almost over 
    So have another drink cuz no one cares 
    The ocean is the first casualty 
    Of our never ending worship of the GDP 
    So what is left for you and me? 
    When all the fresh water is owned by corporate entities 
    I’m sorry to say but things are looking bleak 
    It’s the new dark ages so pop off a few more tweets 
    Newsflash we’re all gonna die poor 
    As the refugees from the countries we destroy are knocking at our door 
    We don’t ever take any blame 
    It’s always some Boogieman 
    We’re too afraid of change 
    Yeah we’re dead and gone 
    We’re living on krypton 
    We pretend it isn’t true 
    Yeah we’re dead and gone 
    Hallelujah it’s the great beyond 
    Ces la vie and bye bye baby blue

  • Allman Betts Band Lit up The Paramount on Nov. 10, 2019

    The Allman Betts Band brought their 2019 fall tour to The Paramount on November 10, 2019. The tour was supporting their latest album, Down to the River which came out earlier in the year. The supporting acts were Joanne Shaw Taylor and and Jackson Stokes. The Allman Betts Band is Devon Allman, Duane Betts, Berry Duane Oakley, John Ginty, Johnny Stachela, R. Scott Bryan and John Lum.

    Jackson Stokes, who is the first artist signed to Devon Allman’s new record label, Create Records, opened up the show with songs from his new self titled album, released on October 25, 2019. He was also the guitarist for The Devon Allman Project from 2016 to 2018. Joanne Shaw Taylor is a British blues rock guitarist and singer. Her sixth album, Reckless Heart, was released on May 17, 2019.

    The Allman Betts Band set consisted of songs from their latest album including “Down to the River” and “Southern Accents,” plus a covers of Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky.” The Allman Brothers Band “Elizabeth Reed,” “Midnight Rider” and The Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil,” rounded out the bill. They also brought back Taylor for a cover of John Lee Hooker’s “Dimples” and Jackson Stokes to play on “Mahalo.” The two-hour set ended with “Long Gone” from the new album.

    The Allman Betts Band @ The Paramount Theater on Huntington, Long Island, NY November 10, 2019

    Setlist: All Night, Shinin’, Autumn Breeze, Down to the River, Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More, Blue Sky, You Got Lucky, Good Ol’ Days, Melodies Are Memories, Dimples*, Friend of the Devil, Mahalo^, Jessica, Down to the River.

    Encore: Long Gone
    * with Joanne Shaw
    ^ with Jackson Stokes

  • Orange Corner Debut “Hippie Baby” Gets Out the Cradle

    Image a bastard-child bred from a strange co-mingling of iTunes libraries. A mash of genres and unforeseen turns have fused a free flowing debut single from Orange Corner, named “Hippie Baby.”

    Buffalo New Yorks’ five-piece multi-genre performance band, Orange Corner, has no filter. The band leans heavily on funk, obvious trips of psychedelic rock, metal, reggae, hip-hop and electronic genes are all dispersed. It is no suprise they get lost in improvised jams, which keeps their live sets in motion, fresh and new. If you like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Pink Floyd, Jamiroquai or Talking Heads, Orange Corner and “Hippie Baby” will quickly gain your attention.

    orange corner
    Orange Corner “Hippie Baby” album art.

    “Hippie Baby” is not for the faint of ear. It’s the epitome of a toddler running rapid, musically challenging the norms of song structure. Orange Corner’s take it or leave it approach sucks you right in as Drummer Tj “Thor” Carson creates a dynamic ploy across the toms. Seemingly out of time, “Hippie Baby” lures with swaying bass and lots of texture.

    By the time the band kicks off, in the eight-plus minute track you get it, and sink into the groove. Yet, the band does play with you heart-rate as they sink back into a musical somber, filled with guitar overtones, cymbal textures, and electronic ‘spaceship’ synth.

    Orange Corner takes you for ride with “Hippie Baby.” filled with an unexpected pit-stops, like Randy Pawlak’s ‘out-your-mind’ bass lick as he and Thor quest the band onward.

    Upon attending an Orange Corner performance, be prepared to
    endure musical movements of vast magnitude. Once it’s showtime, a fresh sonic pallet is tastily presented, and the crowd quickly becomes enthralled in an upbeat mix of soaring solos, rhythmical nuances, and downright infectious vocals.Whether it’s through dancy improvised medium or tethering originality with appropriate covers, this band has a knack for cleverly stimulating the amygdala….

    Orange Corner Bio

    Orange Corner’s circle has been growing through WNY grass-roots festival, Tedfest. Last year the band had 700 people pass thru the day/night, across three stages, 20+ bands, and a load of vendors.

    Check out more WNY YOU NEED TO SEE BANDS Here

    Meet Orange Corner:
    Nathan Addenbrooke: Funk-n-soul driven vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion
    Randy Pawlak: In-the-pocket, out-your-mind bass & bubbly backseat banter
    Thomas Leaming: Lavish lead guitar love generator
    Tj “Thor” Carson: The groove-hacking, head-banging drummer
    Tommy McDonald: White keys, black keys, spaceships and synth leads

  • Hearing Aide: Joe Bonamassa ‘Royal Tea’

    Utica’s all grown up boy wonder guitar god, Joe Bonamassa, has just unleashed another fantastic solo album, Royal Tea. Recorded at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios. Bonamassa’s latest is a tip of the hat to his British blues rock heroes, Jeff Beck, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Cream and more. It is also as much a showcase for his increasingly progressive and mature songwriting, as is his always sizzling six-stringery.

    The 10 originals here were co-written by Joe and Brit notables including former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, ex-Cream lyricist Pete Brown and piano man Jools Holland of Squeeze fame. Bonamassa’s long-standing producer Kevin Shirley and his touring band, Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass) and Reese Wynans (keys), flew in for the sessions.

    Joe Bonamassa Royal Tea

    While Royal Tea is a nod to British blues masters, it is not at all about retreading the classics, or the simple but saintly joys of going round and round the 1-4-5 pattern. It’s an album full of songs that are firmly rooted in a blues feel, but with very progressive and surprising leanings. It’s all about the unexpected chordal turnarounds and multi-movements that span epic length, things that owe more than a bit to Brit prog acts of the ‘70s.

    Bonamassa sets the tone with the album opener, “When One Door Opens.” It kicks off with baroque strings and brass that could’ve been mustered up by another true Abbey Road legend, Beatles’ producer George Martin. It’s a mournful ballad that feels a bit like Guns N’ Roses “November Rain,” until it shift into a nasty Led Zep-styled groove and then a boogie for a screaming wah-fueled solo. It solo winds down with rhythmic quote from “Beck’s Bolero,” before returning to the mournful orchestral mood for the close.  A ballsy move, as this one clocks in at 7:34, making it the longest track on the album.

    The title track follows. It’s another hard blues with a thick slamming groove and unexpected descending chordal turnaround, and yet another Beck-era Yardbirds’ quote in the solo. Here and everywhere on the album Joe’s guitar tones are killer, honey thick and biting. And his solos here are kept brief, always in service of the song. And why not? Joe’s got one of the world’s best employed vintage guitar collections to make these varied sounds, a virtual museum that can be viewed here.     

    “Why Does It Take So Long to Say Goodbye” is another of the many slow grooves here. Joe wrenches every bit of emotion out of the melody, with his guitar playing and his vocals, the latter which gets better in each passing album. This is another blues in a few epic movements over its six and a half minutes, where he complements thick power chording with sweet flourishes on his acoustic.

    For a John Lee Hooker-styled boogie, with extra crunch, turn up “High Class Girl;” for a bit of Southern rock and slide, tap into “A Conversation with Alice.”  On “Lonely Boy,” Joe and company go for broke, with a sprightly big band jump blues with rocking’ horn parts. Some beautiful soloing from Jools Holland and what must be flashy chromatic runs on a vintage Telecaster from Joe. This is a track that would be totally at home on a Brian Setzer album.

    One of my favorites is the offbeat “Lookout Man!” This one combines another Jimmy Page-styled riff with Space Rock sound effects a la Gong/Steve Hillage, with a nasty blues harp and a chorus of female singers that sound like Ike and Tina Turner’s Ikettes. “Savannah” ends the album on an up tempo, with slamming’ country picking and a droney fiddle.

    This week Royal Tea made a big splash on the charts, earning Joe Bonamassa his 24th #1 album on the Blues Chart, an incredible feat, more than any other artist in the history of the chart!  More importantly, it’s gaining Joe fans beyond the narrow blues niche. He’s #5 on Current Albums, #6 on Indie Albums, #7 in Rock and #7 in Rock charts. 

    Bands like Cream and Zeppelin were successful because they took to the wonderful foundation of American electric blues and did something new and different with, with each album as their careers progressed.  Bonamassa deserves their level of success because he is following in their progressive and bold footsteps.

    Key Tracks: When One Door Opens, Why Does It Take So Long to Say Goodbye, Lookout Man!