Track Listing

1. The Ballad Of John Henry
2. Stop!
3. Last Kiss
4. Jockey Full Of Bourbon
5. Story Of A Quarryman
6. Lonesome Road Blues
7. Happier Times
8. Feelin' Good
9. Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter
10. The Great Flood
11. From The Valley
12. As The Crow Flies)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #414 in Music
• Released on: 2009-02-23
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
In the last nine years, bluesman Joe Bonamassa has released no less than six studio and two live albums. The Ballad of John Henry is his seventh proper album, and the follow-up to 2007’s acclaimed Sloe Gin. As on previous outings, The Ballad of John Henry sees the singer deliver a dynamite blast of blues-influenced rock, buoying the genre's acoustic tendencies with searing electric guitar riffs and gritty vocals. Seven of the 12 tracks here are written by Bonamassa, ranging from the blistering title track--a story of the eternal American folk legend--to the swaying, loping, tough-nosed “Last Kiss”. The songs are all suitably impressive, as are most of the covers, which include a Stevie Ray-esque take on Sam Brown’s ballad "Stop!" and great renditions of Tom Waits' "Jockey Full Of Bourbon" and Ike & Tina Turner's "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter". The Ballad of John Henry further underlines Bonamassa's talents as both firebrand musician and compelling songwriter.

CD Description
'The Ballad Of John Henry' is the seventh studio album fromrenowned American blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Produced by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Black Crowes) the album sees Bonamassa deliver another collection of rocking blues workouts. Featuring six original tracks penned by Bonamassa himself, he also takes on six covers, including TomWaits' 'Jockey Full Of Bourbon', Sam Brown's 'Stop' and theNewley/Bricusse penned classic 'Feelin' Good'.

Customer Reviews

JBM stepping stone into BIG TIME!
Many Bands produce their best work in the early days - U2/Bon Jovi/Clapton etc but we think that they'll then progress further which is often not the case. However to play the blues with such maturity of tone and texture must come through time yet with JBM he seems have torn the rule book up here. This is whats makes it so refreshing that we have a young head who still has the bite for creativity and daring to not conform but with the class of an elder blues statesmen.

His own tracks and covers are well put together and the album has very deep gritty feel to it with JBM throwing himself 100% into tracks you thought no one would dabble with. His voice and music complement each other very well.

The feel of the album feels so natural and is not overworked. Jockey Full of Bourbon and the soulful happier times to me are the stand out tracks but generally there all up there.

The blues just flaws effortlessly and the guitar work sways from moody deep chords throught to blistering licks.Never overworked or overstated.

We've been blessed with 2 greats this year with albums and tours JBM and Gary Moore however....Been Honest - This will give the technically brilliant Gary Moore (but becoming predictable)more than a good run for his money and will hopefully drag him out of his comfort zone and get him to become creative (again)as this is the type album I have craved from him for some time.


A very good album and... if this guy can perform live... this album/tour will put JBM in the arenas next time around...Watch this space.

...Blues-rocker hits adventurous career high...
OK, I'll 'fess up. In the past I have found a lot of Joe Bonamassa's output on the lumpen side. There, I said it. I feel a whole lot better now. So I wasn't overly excited about this, the follow up to 2007's Sloe Gin. But I'm delighted to say that this is an absolute belter, and the best album Mr Bonamassa has ever produced. I can now consider myself converted to the cause.

Featuring twelve tracks, it consists of seven originals alongside five cover versions, including a Tom Waits tune, "Feelin' Good" as covered by just about everybody (including John Coltrane, Muse and George Michael), the fabulously titled "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter" (previously recorded by Nina Simone and Ike & Tina Turner, amongst others), a Tony Joe White tune, and most peculiarly a turn at "Stop!," originally a hit for Joe Brown's daughter Sam, and later covered by UK soul/pop singer Jamelia.

His last album went straight in at Number One on the US Billboard Blues chart and even got into the Top 50 in the UK, so the pressure is definitely on, especially with Bonamassa hailing The Ballad Of John Henry as "my strongest work to date." And, for once, that isn't mere hyperbole as the working class hero title track kicks things off in tremendous style before the Sam Brown tune is transformed into a slow blues, brass punctuated gem.

On into "Last Kiss," and Bonamassa finally cranks up his guitar for all the fretheads out there. I'm still not wholly convinced that Aerosmith, Journey and Iron Maiden producer, Kevin Shirley, is the right man for the production chair, as there is still the occasional stumble into generic rock, but there's considerably less of it than on earlier releases.

There really isn't a weak track on offer here, with even Tom Waits' "Jockey Full Of Bourbon" transformed into a grubby musical delight. If you're looking for some hard rock, then try "Story Of A Quarryman;" if it's the blues you crave, then head for "Lonesome Road Blues." The aforementioned horns also add some nice touches to Ailene Bullock's "Funkier than a Mosquito's Tweeter" and, best of all, "The Great Flood," which has a remarkably inventive arrangement. It helps that he's got an all star backing band including ex David Bowie/Rod Stewart bassist Carmine Rojas, former Joe Cocker and KISS drummer Anton Fig and one-time Beach Boy Blondie Chaplin on rhythm guitar.

He seems to have made a wilful, if graduated, move away from the mainstream Seventies blues-rock vibe he'd been mining for a while prior to the more acoustic based Sloe Gin; and it's the increasingly adventurous musical statements that has lifted this album head and shoulders above anything he's done before. Whether it's the slide drenched "Feelin' Good" or the funky swamp blues of "As The Crow Flies" (as previously covered by Rory Gallagher), this is an album Mr Bonamassa can be justly proud of.

Anything Sweeter than a Mosquito's Tweeter?
I was already a fan, but when the man himself says "its his best work to date", then take a deep breath. For many fans his best work is done live but the music is born in the studio and this time he has both stepped out, and stepped up.
Vocally better than ever, creative production, great performances. The guitar playing is a given,of course, and any covers songs are always both imaginative choices and intelligently developed,so what is so special about TBOJH? Well, for me, the depth and quality of HIS writing is striking. The whole album has a real sense of purpose. We've known he has been developing his talent but he has come a long way in quite a short time. At what point does an artist stop being great and become GREAT? This album goes a long way to answering that question. His next tours are going to be incredible events. I doubt John Henry himself could have hit harder..