SUPER GEEK!

''THIS WAS DEFINITELY A TOOLKIT OF A RECORD''

- Amit Sharma

There have been all kinds of influences that have moulded Joe Bonamassa into the player he is over the years – blues heroes such as Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and rock legends Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. But ask the 43-year-old New Yorker about the sounds explored on his new album Royal Tea and he’ll enjoy going off-script for a while.

“I deal with blues-rock until there’s no demand for it!” he says, laughing. But for a player who is so often regarded as one of the greatest blues enthusiasts on the planet, it’s refreshing for him to shed light on influences far, far beyond.

“One thing that’s so freeing about not being in the hit singles business is you have no rules!” he grins, talking to TG via video chat from his ‘Nerdville East’ base in Nashville, Tennessee. “It’s not like I have these big songs that I need to change or mix for radio. If I want prog time in Nerdville, let’s go!”