Customer Reviews

Had to Cry Today

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The guitar gods have graced Mr. Bonamassa with lightning in his fingertips. The former child prodigy delves into blues, soul, rock and country on "Had To Cry Today". Whatever the genre, Joe proves conclusively that he's all over it. "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" and "Reconsider Baby" just freakin sizzle. You take a tight band and a deft mixture of covers and original material and the guitar that roared and you've got yourself a major type listening experience. The scary thing is, Joe's just getting started.

After last years "Blues Deluxe", I wondered in which direction Joe Bonamassa would chose to go with his next CD. "Blues Deluxe" was an excellent set of songs that spun Joe's take on his Blues, and hardly ever left my CD player. It quickly became my favorite CD of last year. Excellent original songs, plus well chosen covers, along with top notch production and musicianship brought together a CD that would be hard to top.

However, on the brand new release "Had To Cry Today", Joe Bonamassa and the band have uped the ante, and have created a wonderful set of classic rock music. Again, sticking to the formula of mixing a few covers, with some excellent original material, Joe stretches his musical muscles here, fusing Blues inspired rock and acoustic blues. Joe's singing is in excellent form here, and much more soulfull and confident than ever.

"Never Make Your Move Too Soon", "Travellin' South", "Reconsider Baby", and the title track in particular "Had To Cry Today", a barnstorming staple of the bands live show, are excellent covers in that familiar blues territory that Joe and the band do so well, yet sounding heavier, more inspired and in your face than ever before.

Joe lets loose on 2 instrumentals here, that not only shows his virtuosity and talent, but also his diversity. Joe's finding more notes out of the air than ever before. "Revenge of the 10 Gallon Hat", is Joe's ode to the late Danny Gatton. Joe country picks with the best of them here, and if you didn't know better, you'd swear it's Mr. Gatton himself. "Faux Mantini" ends the CD, with an explosive display of acoustic guitar playing in the realm of Al DiMeola, that is at once shocking to hear. How can he play that fast, and still be musical?

The standouts on "Had to Cry Today" however are the original songs. Joe's is becoming a very good song writer, and these are his best yet. "The River", and "When the Sun Goes Down", 2 acoustic blues numbers that both start slow and haunting, and then both kick into high gear. "Around the Bend" is a very personal song for Joe, with a sweet sounding acoustic arrangement, and thoughtful lyrics, that builds into one of Joe's most melodic guitar solo's ever. "When She Dances" is a beautifully written ballad, with a slow groove that is infectious. This song should be played on every radio station in North America, and would be a huge hit with the right push and promotion.

"Had to Cry Today" finds Joe Bonamassa at his best, and where he is today as a performer. The band as a whole has never played better, or written better songs. The result is magical.

I was waiting for the follow-up of Blues Deluxe impatiently, hoping that Joe would have followed the same route: playing the blues. Unfortunately this is not the case. The new one is a sort of hybrid, a lot from his first two albums and just a little bit from his last one, and from my point of view, his best. I wouldn't like to be misunderstood: I love it. However I prefer Joe when he plays straight-ahead blues rather than hard rock-blues. Nevertheless the guitar playing is breath taking and also his singing has improved. It is just a bit too much on the "heavy" side for my taste. I personally believe that instead of looking for speed, or number of notes played in a second, or volume, our hero should start thinking about the emotion you can transmit, and the tension you can create, just not playing a note rather than filling the musical intervals with too many. He is still young and I am still confident that he will be, one day, one of the greatest blues guitar players. Looking forward for the next one, I am afraid that I can rate this album only 4 stars.

If you're looking for some of "Jumping Joe's" classic blues (See Rick "Shaq" Goldstein's previous FIVE STAR review of "BLUES DELUXE"!) this is not the CD for you. If you want middle of the road rock guitar, and not the full "smoldering, cauldron, of thunder and lightning, guttural, volcanic, power, vocals, that "Jumping Joe", is capable of, this is for you. For a true "Jumping Joe" blues fan, the only thing this CD will do for you, is complete, your collection of his music, and you won't wonder if you missed something. In closing, a personal note to "Jumping Joe: "please record more classic electric blues! When you put out something like "Blues Deluxe" you are truly the greatest living electric blues man under 70 years old! This CD is beneath you and your loyal blues, "street gang!"

Album sounds better with each listen. Can tell Joe put some effort into this album. Too bad not better known, have liked all of his work. Joe's vocals are excellant and so as is typical the guitar playing. Joe is one of the best there is, if do you not know him buy this album and get introduced. Joe mixes Blues, country and Classic Rock together. You can hear a little of each in certain tracks. The highlights include Had To Cry Today {yes this is Blind Faith's song nicely redone}, Around The Bend and When the Sun Goes Down. I miss some the harder, edgier tracks that have been on previous albums; this album is in my opinion a mellower effort. But, as I previously said it gets better with every listen. Not a weak track and the order flows. Joe and company paid attention to the details here, the more you listen the more you appreciate and understand the album's overall depth. A high quality effort 4 1/2 stars. As good of an album as I've heard in 18 months, seriously.

I'm pretty new to Joe Bonnamassa but like what I have so far. A sort of rock oriented blues guitarist which fits my favorite style of blues this one is worth listening to.

I have been a Joe Bonamassa fan since I bought A New Day Yesterday. I have bought every album after that and was not dissapointed. Had To Cry Today is another great album by Joe. The opening track 'Never Make Your Move Too Soon' just grabbed me by the neck and did not let go until Faux Mantini. This is an album that takes you on a trip.

This is Joe at his most diverse and it is all well. Cool thing he does by listing the equipment for each song. It's fun. Joe is an unashamed guitar player. He knows it, doesn't mind it and just goes for it. Wonderful...

I first heard Joe on the "Bloodline" CD ten years ago and loved his fluid, melodic lines, displaying a maturity way beyond his years. So I was absolutely thrilled to re-discover him earlier this year (2004), when I bought his first three solo albums "A New Day Yesterday", "So, It's Like That" (including a Live DVD & "Blues Deluxe", thinking, "he can't possibly get any better than these!" Well, he has! "Had To Cry Today" is definitely Joe Bonamassa's best album yet! And that's saying something, because ALL of Joe's CD's are absolutely AWESOME!!

"Had To Cry..." has all the ingredients that made Joe's previous work special - and then some! There's plenty of energy and grunt (Never Make a Move Too Soon, Travelling South), a great minor blues cover of the Lowell Fulson classic (Reconsider Baby), chicken-pickin' country a la Danny Gatton (Revenge Of The Ten Gallon Hat), acoustic tunes (Around The Bend), ballads (When She Dances), Mississippi-style blues with great harp playing by Jon Paris (The River & When The Sun Goes Down) and a fast-paced acoustic instrumental (Faux Mantini). Then, of course there's the title track, a re-make of the great Blind Faith song, which gets a whole new lease of Life here, in the capable hands of Joe, Eric Czar and Kenny Kramme.

Joe Bonamassa is without doubt one of the greatest Blues/Rock guitar players on the planet today. But he's also great singer and song-writer. Seven of the Eleven tunes on this CD were written or co-written by Joe.

I thoroughly recommend any of Joe Bonamassa's CD's to anyone who loves to listen to great guitar playing and singing, but if you only have the money for one, GET THIS ONE!!! You'll soon be scraping up enough to get the other Three.

Bonamassa is possessed of a killer combination: a head full of great music and the chops to pull it off. He pays tribute to his influences in the most respectful way of all, by taking their music to another level. He's always had an ear for great hooks from classic bands like Tull and Blind Faith, and manages to put his own signature on each one. As much as I revere the guest artists on his debut "New Day Yesterday" like Rick Derringer and Leslie West, it's obvious the boy don't need 'em to hold him up! Whether it's amped up classic blues-rock, jaw dropping country Telecaster pyrotechnics, or an acoustic Gypsy fantasia, his execution is so flawless and his imagination so endless, one is amazed that he not only masters so many styles, but perfects them; And unlike some of the "Young Gun" guitar Slingers, he has a great, expressive voice as well. Joe hasn't let me down yet.

I saw Joe for the first time when he toured with BB King, I was pleasently surprised with his guitar work and his levity; he kept hawking his album, on stage, with an irreverance that made me go out and buy it. I've bought every one since then. I've seen him every time he comes to town (when I can get off work)and he just keeps getting better with each outing. So goes his albums as well. I thought Had to Cry Today is his best to date. Many artists seem to stutter a step when trying to follow-up great works like Blues Deluxe, but Joe once again pulled it off. I enjoyed the many directions that this album took, and can't say a bad thing about any of the tunes on it, it's one I honestly listen to from beginning to end. Joe shows that he can play nearly anything he puts his mind too. In the liner notes Joe mentions that he's not really a country player, but he does a fine job anyway. Like SRV and jazz, Joe's just not giving himself enough credit. The retrospective Around the Bend is one I play on short jaunts around town, along with River, a pesudo gospel song. Both songs just make me feel good. Revenge of the Ten Gallon Hat is one I wish he would start playing on stage, it's just plain damn fun. My only question is this; Joe when are you going to put together a collection of Jimi? If you haven't seen Joe play 'Are you Expirenced?', then you gotta see him live. Buy this album, and the next one, and the next one...