Beacon Theatre: Live From New York
Joe Bonamassa
Provogue Records
September 25, 2011 US: CD | MP3
September 24, 2011 UK: CD | MP3

Albums with Black Country Communion, a duet with Beth Hart, a solo album, and inspired guest appearances with the likes of Lesley West and Derek Sherinian has seen majestically talented blues rock singer and guitarist Joe Bonamassa finally start to get the recognition he deserves. After over 12 years he has been slowly improving over his 14 solo albums and the last year or so has seen him in a rich vein of form.

During this time the king of modern blues rock recorded his fourth live album, Beacon Theatre: Live From New York on November 5, 2011. It’s an impressive 2-disc set with some of Bonamassa’s finest recent work including “When The Fire Hits The Sea,” “Dust Bowl,” “Blue And Evil,” and striking covers of Gary Moore’s “Midnight Blues” and Rory Gallagher’s “Cradle Rock.”

Blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa has announced his latest studio album, Driving Towards The Daylight.

Produced by his Black Country Communion collaborator Kevin Shirley, the album features guest appearances by the likes of Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford and Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. Among the 11 tracks there are Bonamassa originals and he also puts his inimitable style on songs such as “New Coat Of Paint” by Tom Waits, Bernie Marsden’s “A Place In My Heart,” and Willie Dixon’s “All I Need.”

Bonamassa is adding to his long line of solo albums including the excellent You & Me, The Ballad Of John Henry and last year’s terrific Dust Bowl. Driving Towards The Daylight, Bonamassa’s thirteenth album, will be released in the UK on Monday, May 12, 2012 and in the U.S. on May 22, 2012.

Great Gypsy Soul
By Tommy Bolin and Friends
429 Records
Release date: March 26, 2012
MP3* | CD Exclusive | CD

The late, great Tommy Bolin, one of the most prolific and underrated guitarists arguably of all time, is getting the royal crown tribute firmly affixed on his sonic memory with the release of Great Gypsy Soul. The eleven song album, which was released in MP3* format today, March 25 (it’s actually on sale right now for $3.99) has a stunning array of guests on it that reads like a who’s who line-up of some guitar and vocal greats of the 1970s and 80s and today, like Peter Frampton, Joe Bonamassa, and Warren Haynes.

Bolin, who was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1951 and died in Miami, Florida, in late 1976, was yet another guitar player in the annals of rock whose bright future was stilled, a victim of a heroin overdose while on tour with Jeff Beck.

If you enjoyed Black Country Communion‘s second album, 2 (and why wouldn’t you?), you can get the first album Black Country Communion now for only $5 in Amazon’s December $5 MP3 Album, which has 100 albums for only $5 each.

Black Country Communion is the rock supergroup made up of lead singer and bass player Glenn Hughes, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham and keyboard player Derek Sherinian.

The $5 price is only available until December 31, 2011 11:59 PST. If You would prefer a physical copy the CD version is available for $15.28.

Black Country Communion – Live Over Europe
U.S.: DVD | Blu-ray
U.K.: DVD | Blu-ray
Mascot Records
Release date: October 24, 2011

One of the best supergroups of the last few years has released a live DVD to prove to those who didn’t catch them over the summer that they are just as impressive live as they are on their albums. Shot over three nights at shows in Hamburg, Munich and Berlin, Germany last summer, Black Country Communion Live Over Europe is a document of a rock band at a key period in their career.

The summer festival circuit is where bands go to make their name and spread the word. To be fair to the guys, Black Country Communion‘s name was already pretty well known. After these kind of performances, their word was gospel.