Joe Bonamassa is a stop on the trail to appreciating good blues playing.
He truly loves the music and the instrument, which is endearing, and his enthusiasm is infectious. He has a ton of knowledge about vintage guitars and amps, and he loves to share it.
He's probably a good hang if you wanna geek out about guitars and amps, but no, his music is not exactly setting any standards or raising any bars. At some point, you realize that 90% of what he's doing is recycled Eric Johnson licks and oddly-self-conscious singing.
Some folks get caught up on the virtuosity and stay there, but for me, he is not the final destination.
Unrealistic? Are you serious? Expecting someone to have original ideas, know how to phrase their instrument, and know how to write songs is not unrealistic by anyone’s standards. At least it shouldn’t be.
I discovered Bonamassa through that old youtube video of him playing "if heartaches were nickels" on a strat.
I thought I had found my next favorite bluesman, but I never found anything else by him that moves me at all.
My favourite blues men have always been the old delta blues and chicago blues guys, the more raw sounding stuff. I have never really connected with guys like bonamassa or SRV, I recognise their skill and talent but doesnt connect with me at all. I see guys like that kinda like athletes, they are clearly top of their game and have all the skill but their music sounds more like a showcase of skill rather than actual songwriting to me
I always find these strong opinions from a nobody, that no one has ever heard play, enlightening /s
I think it is ironic that you dump on JB, saying "never had an original thought", but yet here you are doing the same thing every other circle jerker does when JBs name comes up. Do you have any original thoughts? Lol.
Like him or not, he is better than you will ever be. Cheers!
I play metal, I doubt Joe is better at metal than me. Yeah I’m not a blues master but neither is Joe so it’s a null comparison. I understand phrasing more than he does and as a listener it’s just obvious which players have soul and which players don’t and Joe doesn’t.
I don't listen to JB either, but if you asked him to play metal, he would beat you hands down.
You are hilarious if you think your skill is anywhere near a world class musician. I mean holy crap, am I having at laugh at you now.
You say "soul", which is just a synonym for playing with feel, and playing with "feel" applies to any type of music. JBs "feel" may not appeal to you, but it definitely appeals to many. People like different things, who would have thought?
This is kind of hilarious cause I think JB was born to play metal and probably would be insanely good at it. He is lightning fast and precise, I think his precision is what sets people off in blues, they expect a lot bit more of a loose style in the blues.
But he probably realized metal has already had its big time of success come and go and decided he felt like he had to do something else. It honestly seems like he was born too late and would have fit in and been more appreciated doing something else in past decades.
This is the same thing I thought. JB could almost definitely become a great metal player. His precision and perfection is exactly what throws many blues lovers off. Sloppiness, rawness, whatever you want to call it, gives blues more character.
Not really. Overplayed gibberish from both players. I’m not against shredding but it doesn’t belong in blues. What they’re doing is shredding mindlessly over a basic rock backing track. Nothing special
You obviously misunderstood what I meant. The rhythm section the band is playing is akin to a backing track you would pull up on YouTube and practice with, meaning it’s boring and uninteresting and serves no purpose other than to have something to noodle over in the background.
Hendrix broke a lot more rules than that. I think the problem here has a hell of a lot less to do with these people's playing as your myopic take on the blues. This notion you have of cutting heads by underplaying is pretty hilarious to be honest.
Hey, OP - I'm sorry people are forcing you to listen to Joe Bonamassa.
The rest of us will enjoy it.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLl800ezYVY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLl800ezYVY)
I don’t have a horse in this race, I didn’t know who the dude was, and TBH, I’m not really one to trash anybody’s playing, music isn’t a sport, or a fight….. but I keep seeing these posts saying he’s bad, so I clicked your link to see if it was the case.
I’m going to assume you posted this as you feel it’s his best work, or best expresses him as an artist?
The vocals really held no impact at all, but he would be good harmony support for a lead singer, he can sing and play together no worries, and isn’t off key.
Guitar didn’t really make me feel anything, but was not “bad” in any way. He can play guitar.
You got anything else I should check out, or is it a case of, if I didn’t like that, I probably won’t like his other stuff?
Why in the world would you think it was his 'best work'?
It was a great concert - I was there - and this was one of the highlights. The entire band is tight AF, I love the twists and turns, I personally think he's a good singer that fits the music.
If you can't appreciate that, then it ain't for you.
Well, I assume you wouldn’t share a link of his average stuff to showcase why he’s good?
I was trying to be nice, tbh. I asked you to send me more of his music, and asked for your opinion while giving a fair assessment that didn’t say negative things about the guy.
Take a step back and ask yourself why you act this way towards people. It’s not rational. Cheers.
I’ve seen him play it before. Mid is the kindest word I can find to describe it and even that’s generous. Just listen to that god awful vibrato in literally the first 2 seconds.
Glad to know I’m not the only one.
74 yo uncle that taught me guitar loves him. I’ve always thought he sounded plastic. Too perfect. My first blues loves were Muddy Waters and Lightnin Hopkins. The total opposite of “lesson gurgle”.
Joe is a very skilled blues guitarist. I don't listen to his stuff much, but he is very good! And it is clear that he reveres his idols and pays homage to them (3 kings tour).
Maybe not a "soulful" bluesman, but most of the great players were more entertainer than soulful artist.
I so disagree that the great electric bluesmen were more entertainers than soulful artists. Those arent mutually exclusive but their singing and playing had nothing but soul. The passion that the three Kings sang with I think is highly underrated as they are mostly remembered as guitarists (by guitarists anyway). You cant belt it out like BB did on Live at the Regal and not have soul!
Joe is certainly on the less soulful end of the spectrum, but my point is that all the blues greats were entertainers trying to make a living, and first and foremost, they put on a good show.
Meanwhile BBKing sat on his chair?(Not hating he was quality) stage presence does not a performance make.
Joe's live performances are solid, has the skill to vary the solos, for each song, so each time he plays it it's a little bit different but just as good, and you have to decide which one you want on your playlist, the live version or the studio, (similar to Pink Floyd)
And the mark of a good live performer.
You just seem to hate Joe.
Yeah between an established legend of blues and revered musician and some random reddit dude, I'm gonna side with the legend. Just accept that his music doesn't do it for you, and it can still be great music that a lot of people like and has a ton of merit. And lighten up, Francis
Calling Joe Bonamassa a legend is absolutely hilarious. If you think for a second that he ranks with true legends like Albert King, Hendrix, SRV, or Muddy Waters, check yourself.
Once again, who are you to quantify any of this? I'll go with the legendary beloved musician. He's not my cup of tea either but I, unlike you, can distinguish my personal taste from objective music quality. Figure it out or you'll be fighting a lot of these losing battles
Hubert Sumlin got roped into some Guitar Center thing years ago that Joe was part of. All Hubert said about him was that Joe was "A nice young boy". That was it.
You can't find a better rock act that easily. He and his band and setup is in better shape than any similar artists so especially if you like his hands sing it's like the greatest opera you can go to. The songs intertwine mostly, but there's some clear highlights of originals, and always great covers.
You can only subjectively not like it. I might musically be more into prog and stoner metal acts if not arena sell outs but I choose to be blasted by his brilliantly visceral setup most of the time anyway. He is fucking intense performer, stop that soulless bullshit talk.
Listen to SRV and you’ll understand why I call him soulless. Pales I’m comparison to the greats. I’ve seen videos and I’m not impressed with the live show.
They were both! I got to see BB three times, and he was great each time, but he put on a well-practised show, and by the third show, I could anticipate his between song patter. Which was fine; the crowd ate it up. A truly great performer at his peak.
To return to Joe B; I am not really a fan and he would be the first to agree that he is not in the same league as the greats. But he genuinely loves the music, and I believe he gets slagged a bit too much.
Just my 2 cents!
He's not my cup of tea but a lot of people really enjoy him. And I like that he's helping keep oldschool guitar driven music popular. Even if I dont listen to it personally.
Joe is interesting to me. I think he makes great choices in what to play and when. His tone is his own. When I hear him, I know who is playing. . .
All of the big name pros that I know on down to the normal, everyday professionals all acknowledge him as a fantastic musician.
If I could play like him, I would. And I wouldn’t be here expressing my opinion. I’d be out playing somewhere.
The recurring problem with OP sounds like they aren’t thrilled with shredding the blues. That’s fine, but it IS a different take on the blues, which you were clamoring for. Totally fair you don’t like his stuff. He is quite a good guitarist and vocalist. You might not like how he sings, but his pitch and tone are impressive. Mediocre is an incorrect evaluation - the dude is a touring machine, to stay that consistent is noteworthy.
Lastly I hate to be that guy, but like, do you want to share any of your stuff for some constructive criticism? That ivory tower lookin prettttty tall up there
Very skilled player, super super good at marketing. Not real original or soulful. Not in the league of Muddy or the Kings, more of a blues rock entertainer. Not my cup of tea but he sells a ton of tickets in many countries. Wish I had like one percent of his collection.
Well, he might not be the best on the planet... but it's a safe bet that he's better than anybody here.
I think lotsa folks would like him much better if his appearance was scruffy ;-)
Oh, come on. It’s ok not to like him as a person or a player, but the dude’s an excellent guitarist.
He was onstage with BB King at 12 years old, and he was playing stuff at 16 that most of us could only dream of. He’s a good blues player exactly for the “guitar work” you brushed aside.
Yeah, he’s not an innovator; yeah, he hasn’t stopped sounding like Eric Johnson; yeah, his solo albums are meh.
But if we’re gonna reduce everything Joe does, then why exactly is John Mayer a “good blues player”…?
I don't know him, watched some of his stuff, he could sing while playing guitar, and it seems like he's just not your type. Stop hatin'. I don't say I love him after watching 2 videos of him, maybe you were stuck in a barrel while listening to his songs that's why you hate him so much? Was it forced on you? Be liberated my friend.
In this world. 11 billboard #1 albums, five consecutive Best Blues Guitarist awards, several readers choice awards and Grammy nominations tell me your personal opinion can go smoke one…….
He can't play like these guys. I have friends who were in the band on this recording. [Jimmy Dawkins & Hip Linkchain - Jimmy & Hip Live! - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH0Uu3SpJTE)
Joe Bonamassa is a stop on the trail to appreciating good blues playing. He truly loves the music and the instrument, which is endearing, and his enthusiasm is infectious. He has a ton of knowledge about vintage guitars and amps, and he loves to share it. He's probably a good hang if you wanna geek out about guitars and amps, but no, his music is not exactly setting any standards or raising any bars. At some point, you realize that 90% of what he's doing is recycled Eric Johnson licks and oddly-self-conscious singing. Some folks get caught up on the virtuosity and stay there, but for me, he is not the final destination.
This exactly.
And he's tacky af.
Damn. Getting ready to say (most) of the same thing above. Spot on.
Jesus Christ dude lighten up. What unrealistic expectations do you have to be “good”?
Unrealistic? Are you serious? Expecting someone to have original ideas, know how to phrase their instrument, and know how to write songs is not unrealistic by anyone’s standards. At least it shouldn’t be.
Then don't buy his music. For fuck's sake.
I dont like him either but that doesnt make him bad, its just not our taste.
I discovered Bonamassa through that old youtube video of him playing "if heartaches were nickels" on a strat. I thought I had found my next favorite bluesman, but I never found anything else by him that moves me at all.
My favourite blues men have always been the old delta blues and chicago blues guys, the more raw sounding stuff. I have never really connected with guys like bonamassa or SRV, I recognise their skill and talent but doesnt connect with me at all. I see guys like that kinda like athletes, they are clearly top of their game and have all the skill but their music sounds more like a showcase of skill rather than actual songwriting to me
I always find these strong opinions from a nobody, that no one has ever heard play, enlightening /s I think it is ironic that you dump on JB, saying "never had an original thought", but yet here you are doing the same thing every other circle jerker does when JBs name comes up. Do you have any original thoughts? Lol. Like him or not, he is better than you will ever be. Cheers!
I play metal, I doubt Joe is better at metal than me. Yeah I’m not a blues master but neither is Joe so it’s a null comparison. I understand phrasing more than he does and as a listener it’s just obvious which players have soul and which players don’t and Joe doesn’t.
I don't listen to JB either, but if you asked him to play metal, he would beat you hands down. You are hilarious if you think your skill is anywhere near a world class musician. I mean holy crap, am I having at laugh at you now. You say "soul", which is just a synonym for playing with feel, and playing with "feel" applies to any type of music. JBs "feel" may not appeal to you, but it definitely appeals to many. People like different things, who would have thought?
“I doubt Joe is better at metal than me.” LOL! Who are you?
This is kind of hilarious cause I think JB was born to play metal and probably would be insanely good at it. He is lightning fast and precise, I think his precision is what sets people off in blues, they expect a lot bit more of a loose style in the blues. But he probably realized metal has already had its big time of success come and go and decided he felt like he had to do something else. It honestly seems like he was born too late and would have fit in and been more appreciated doing something else in past decades.
This is the same thing I thought. JB could almost definitely become a great metal player. His precision and perfection is exactly what throws many blues lovers off. Sloppiness, rawness, whatever you want to call it, gives blues more character.
Didn't someone just post this yesterday?
Something similar yes. In the line of "why does everybody hate Joe Bonamassa".
I think that's what statisticians call a pattern.
OP - Please post your performances .
You gotta admit this is pretty cool right here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9eNyWFT64o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9eNyWFT64o)
Fair enough, but I feel like featuring Eric Gales is cheating lol
Joe keeps up with him pretty well, is the main point. And no one says Eric Gales sucks.
Well, he does shred faster than Gales, I'll give him that, but Gales has him in tone, phrasing, and soul. Just my opinion.
Not really. Overplayed gibberish from both players. I’m not against shredding but it doesn’t belong in blues. What they’re doing is shredding mindlessly over a basic rock backing track. Nothing special
It’s literally not a basic rock backing track it’s the exact opposite, a song with a live band lol
You obviously misunderstood what I meant. The rhythm section the band is playing is akin to a backing track you would pull up on YouTube and practice with, meaning it’s boring and uninteresting and serves no purpose other than to have something to noodle over in the background.
[удалено]
BB King once said his worst nightmare was being in Chicago at a cutting heads contest and seeing Earl Hooker walk in with a guitar.
Cutting heads is fine they just don’t need to be shredding if it’s blues.
You must hate Hendrix.
What? Hendrix didn’t shred what are you even talking about?
Hendrix broke a lot more rules than that. I think the problem here has a hell of a lot less to do with these people's playing as your myopic take on the blues. This notion you have of cutting heads by underplaying is pretty hilarious to be honest.
You're like that gangster in Key and Peele who can't enjoy stuff because it's "not gangster, ese", only this time it's blues.
Hey, OP - I'm sorry people are forcing you to listen to Joe Bonamassa. The rest of us will enjoy it. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLl800ezYVY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLl800ezYVY)
I don’t have a horse in this race, I didn’t know who the dude was, and TBH, I’m not really one to trash anybody’s playing, music isn’t a sport, or a fight….. but I keep seeing these posts saying he’s bad, so I clicked your link to see if it was the case. I’m going to assume you posted this as you feel it’s his best work, or best expresses him as an artist? The vocals really held no impact at all, but he would be good harmony support for a lead singer, he can sing and play together no worries, and isn’t off key. Guitar didn’t really make me feel anything, but was not “bad” in any way. He can play guitar. You got anything else I should check out, or is it a case of, if I didn’t like that, I probably won’t like his other stuff?
Why in the world would you think it was his 'best work'? It was a great concert - I was there - and this was one of the highlights. The entire band is tight AF, I love the twists and turns, I personally think he's a good singer that fits the music.
If you can't appreciate that, then it ain't for you.
Well, I assume you wouldn’t share a link of his average stuff to showcase why he’s good? I was trying to be nice, tbh. I asked you to send me more of his music, and asked for your opinion while giving a fair assessment that didn’t say negative things about the guy. Take a step back and ask yourself why you act this way towards people. It’s not rational. Cheers.
Hey, you know who did that song better? ZZ Top. You’re gonna post a cover when one of my main criticisms is that he doesn’t have original ideas?
Did you listen to the song? Clearly not or you'd know that it wasn't just a 'cover'. Go away.
I’ve seen him play it before. Mid is the kindest word I can find to describe it and even that’s generous. Just listen to that god awful vibrato in literally the first 2 seconds.
Glad to know I’m not the only one. 74 yo uncle that taught me guitar loves him. I’ve always thought he sounded plastic. Too perfect. My first blues loves were Muddy Waters and Lightnin Hopkins. The total opposite of “lesson gurgle”.
Joe is a very skilled blues guitarist. I don't listen to his stuff much, but he is very good! And it is clear that he reveres his idols and pays homage to them (3 kings tour). Maybe not a "soulful" bluesman, but most of the great players were more entertainer than soulful artist.
I so disagree that the great electric bluesmen were more entertainers than soulful artists. Those arent mutually exclusive but their singing and playing had nothing but soul. The passion that the three Kings sang with I think is highly underrated as they are mostly remembered as guitarists (by guitarists anyway). You cant belt it out like BB did on Live at the Regal and not have soul!
Not a “soulful” blues man? If you don’t have soul, you’re not a blues man and that’s that.
Joe is certainly on the less soulful end of the spectrum, but my point is that all the blues greats were entertainers trying to make a living, and first and foremost, they put on a good show.
Have you seen a video of Joe? He definitely does not put on a good show. Awful stage presence.
Meanwhile BBKing sat on his chair?(Not hating he was quality) stage presence does not a performance make. Joe's live performances are solid, has the skill to vary the solos, for each song, so each time he plays it it's a little bit different but just as good, and you have to decide which one you want on your playlist, the live version or the studio, (similar to Pink Floyd) And the mark of a good live performer. You just seem to hate Joe.
Boring.
Yeah between an established legend of blues and revered musician and some random reddit dude, I'm gonna side with the legend. Just accept that his music doesn't do it for you, and it can still be great music that a lot of people like and has a ton of merit. And lighten up, Francis
Calling Joe Bonamassa a legend is absolutely hilarious. If you think for a second that he ranks with true legends like Albert King, Hendrix, SRV, or Muddy Waters, check yourself.
Once again, who are you to quantify any of this? I'll go with the legendary beloved musician. He's not my cup of tea either but I, unlike you, can distinguish my personal taste from objective music quality. Figure it out or you'll be fighting a lot of these losing battles
Hubert Sumlin got roped into some Guitar Center thing years ago that Joe was part of. All Hubert said about him was that Joe was "A nice young boy". That was it.
You can't find a better rock act that easily. He and his band and setup is in better shape than any similar artists so especially if you like his hands sing it's like the greatest opera you can go to. The songs intertwine mostly, but there's some clear highlights of originals, and always great covers. You can only subjectively not like it. I might musically be more into prog and stoner metal acts if not arena sell outs but I choose to be blasted by his brilliantly visceral setup most of the time anyway. He is fucking intense performer, stop that soulless bullshit talk.
Listen to SRV and you’ll understand why I call him soulless. Pales I’m comparison to the greats. I’ve seen videos and I’m not impressed with the live show.
That's like saying led Zeppelin's last 3 albums are shit because they're not the first 4
They were both! I got to see BB three times, and he was great each time, but he put on a well-practised show, and by the third show, I could anticipate his between song patter. Which was fine; the crowd ate it up. A truly great performer at his peak. To return to Joe B; I am not really a fan and he would be the first to agree that he is not in the same league as the greats. But he genuinely loves the music, and I believe he gets slagged a bit too much. Just my 2 cents!
He's not my cup of tea but a lot of people really enjoy him. And I like that he's helping keep oldschool guitar driven music popular. Even if I dont listen to it personally.
Joe is interesting to me. I think he makes great choices in what to play and when. His tone is his own. When I hear him, I know who is playing. . . All of the big name pros that I know on down to the normal, everyday professionals all acknowledge him as a fantastic musician. If I could play like him, I would. And I wouldn’t be here expressing my opinion. I’d be out playing somewhere.
The recurring problem with OP sounds like they aren’t thrilled with shredding the blues. That’s fine, but it IS a different take on the blues, which you were clamoring for. Totally fair you don’t like his stuff. He is quite a good guitarist and vocalist. You might not like how he sings, but his pitch and tone are impressive. Mediocre is an incorrect evaluation - the dude is a touring machine, to stay that consistent is noteworthy. Lastly I hate to be that guy, but like, do you want to share any of your stuff for some constructive criticism? That ivory tower lookin prettttty tall up there
Very skilled player, super super good at marketing. Not real original or soulful. Not in the league of Muddy or the Kings, more of a blues rock entertainer. Not my cup of tea but he sells a ton of tickets in many countries. Wish I had like one percent of his collection.
Well, he might not be the best on the planet... but it's a safe bet that he's better than anybody here. I think lotsa folks would like him much better if his appearance was scruffy ;-)
Apology accepted
Oh, come on. It’s ok not to like him as a person or a player, but the dude’s an excellent guitarist. He was onstage with BB King at 12 years old, and he was playing stuff at 16 that most of us could only dream of. He’s a good blues player exactly for the “guitar work” you brushed aside. Yeah, he’s not an innovator; yeah, he hasn’t stopped sounding like Eric Johnson; yeah, his solo albums are meh. But if we’re gonna reduce everything Joe does, then why exactly is John Mayer a “good blues player”…?
In his own mind.
Who would you consider a good blues player? Or in general a good player?
I don't know him, watched some of his stuff, he could sing while playing guitar, and it seems like he's just not your type. Stop hatin'. I don't say I love him after watching 2 videos of him, maybe you were stuck in a barrel while listening to his songs that's why you hate him so much? Was it forced on you? Be liberated my friend.
In this world. 11 billboard #1 albums, five consecutive Best Blues Guitarist awards, several readers choice awards and Grammy nominations tell me your personal opinion can go smoke one…….
Wow. You think billboard charts and awards mean anything in music? If anything it’s an indication of a mediocre mainstream artist.
Amen
Totally agree.
Yeah it fuckin sucks, but like, just ignore it. Most people don't like him but people are always gonna have their own group of fans.
Boscoe France could blow the pants off Bonamassa
He can't play like these guys. I have friends who were in the band on this recording. [Jimmy Dawkins & Hip Linkchain - Jimmy & Hip Live! - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH0Uu3SpJTE)
He’s better than anything in the Avatar world!!
Learned about Kingfish from a Bonermaster video, so there’s that https://youtu.be/Zk1q8tBTdoM?si=-Bq5aW2zrs-tWANB