Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Joe Bonamassa has always cared, that is a given, a fact, an indisputable truth to which the musician has presented time and time again since he first brought his instinct, the impulse, and the love, to the Blues as a young performer. It is quite understandable that, with a few exceptions, Blues was creaking under the pressure of the weight of its own immense, and powerful past, and was in danger of leaving the turn of the century music lovers stranded in a place where the genre was of little value to the younger crowd, or worse, disappearing altogether, only to be looked upon as a vague memory, a sepia tinged recollection of how great, how captivating, the music was.
The fact that Joe Bonamassa cares is testament to how the Blues is now seen, one of inclusion in a time which threatens to rip us apart constantly, one that sees all he was worked with and supported, given the time of expression that many would not have done as the 20th Century drew to a close.
It is perhaps fitting to remember the young performer who stood his ground before a B.B. King audience and became a legend, for as he releases his latest live recording, Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman, it is to be assured that the young talent who blew one of the giants of the genre away, would look upon this particular album with absolute and thrilled pride.
Not only is it because of the music, but the manner in which Joe Bonamassa worked tirelessly to bring a show to the fans during a world crisis, to take a risk and put a show on for all via a live stream, with all that can go wrong with such applications, with the knowledge that a live recording for the electronic age is not the same as ten thousand souls being in the moment of a venue with you; for in that there is courage, there lays the soul that cares; and as the music from the album plays out, it is to be noted on just how wonderful the sound is, how glorious the message is received.
The one night only show at the legendary Nashville venue, Ryman Auditorium, is to be seen in the context of the performance, the music, and the Time we live in, for the show could not have been without all skill of two and the acknowledgement of the other, and as tracks such as the opener When One Door Opens, the excellent Royal Tea and High Class Girl, the sublime etherealness that exudes from Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye, A Conversation With Alice, Lonely Boy and Cradle Rock played out to thousands on the internet, the sense of unison, of standing together against a common cause is overwhelming, and that sense of caring about the fans, it is all framed, highlighted absolutely, in this searing presentation of Blues at its finest and best.
A one-night stand in the presence of greatness, even virtually, is to be grasped with both hands and savoured. Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman is the pot of creativity that goes down smoothly and leaves the listener refreshed and willing to keep fighting on.
Joe Bonamassa releases Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman on June 11th via Provogue/Mascot Label Group.
Ian D. Hall