Label: Provogue/Mascot Label Group
Release date: October 29, 2021
Production: Kevin Shirley
Album length: 56.50 min
Genre: Blues Rock
Rating: 9.0/10
Joe Bonamassa is another guy who could easily crack if indifference and apathy ever got the better of him. Given the state we’re living in – huh, it’ll soon be two years – that wouldn’t be surprising. Sure, gigs have somehow made it back, but they keep happening under a cloud of uncertainty and more or less nagging worries about what tomorrow will bring. And it seems the valiant American musician, especially lately, is loaded down with a ridiculous sack of ideas and ambitions that simply have to be realized. By the creative standards of the ever-ambitious Bonamassa, that obligation to put out something new couldn’t be truer. He’s still stuck in that live-music limbo, and the one way out is putting in some serious hours at the studio and recording new music. Last October Bonamassa released the album “Royal Tea” (2020, RockLine review), the year rolled around, and here’s the follow-up, his sixteenth studio album, “Time Clocks”.
Time keeps flowing, and Joe would love to outrun it. Skip past a few things that surely aren’t winning him any love in the here and now. But it doesn’t work that way. “Royal Tea” was the album where Joe redefined his artistic stature and uniqueness once again, serving up an incredibly sensual, intimate and polished record that was also theatrical and full of ideas, with no shortage of little details and refined touches – elegant, laid-back, unpretentious fine-tuned arranging, wrapped in an organic, velvety production. Honestly, probably the most mature album Bonamassa has made to this day. Maybe Joe felt it too. That the circle had closed, that from here on he could only start repeating himself, even though his style and approach said everything they had to say a long time ago. So he hopped off in a slightly different direction, yet with “Time Clocks” he still sounds instantly recognizable and thoroughly “at home”.
Bonamassa is Bonamassa. Especially on the last few albums. “Time Clocks” is no different. On the new record he again brings a considerably more bristling, raw, even rough-edged guitar sound that swears by the elementary hunger of blues rock. The album edges toward hard rock territory, even though it’s a blues rock manifesto from head to toe, with a flirty streak to boot, and the man managed to squeeze a whole 56 minutes of playing time out of nine songs, which means inspiration, imagination and drive have once again found their home at the right address. He recorded this one in a pretty claustrophobic atmosphere, mind you. He was in New York, after somehow managing to link up with Kevin Shirley, who got stuck in Australia when lockdown was at its peak.
The opener Notches already hits you with particularly loud, rock-sharpened force, carrying one of the most striking lead riffs around, which anchors a concrete seven-minute dramatic blues rock epic full of atmospheric upheavals. Bonamassa confirms right away that he’s passed every exam in the vocals department too. Over the years he’s grown into an excellent singer. Compared to “Royal Tea”, this album will be somewhat more interesting to fans of Black Country Communion, because there are quite a few ideas and vibes on it that could, no brakes on, get along just fine with the songwriting recipe of Bonamassa teaming up with the “dead daisy” Hughes, Sherinian and Bonham.
The Heart That Never Waits is track number two. It hits bitterly, and that avalanche of emotion is strengthened by an exceptionally tight rhythm and a concise bluesy hairdo, in which Bonamassa juggles all sorts of confessional images with incredible ease through his solo acrobatics. You know, that fat, more jagged than melodious grip that drives, leads and pushes the guitarist onward and gives the songs a clear imprint of his own personal voice. The vocal is skillfully balanced with the female backing vocals (already standard for Bonamassa), and the song overall is one of the most down-to-earth ones. Especially when we’re talking about poetry tied to troubles with time. Simple. You have to give time some time. One of the most erotic moments on the album.
Joe is a master of mystique. The yearning and especially dramatic title track counts as one of the album’s peaks. Especially in terms of composition. A veil of country on the way into the verse and an especially solemn yet melancholic chorus that leaves the listener gasping for air. The blend of guitar phrasing and chocolatey Hammond lines is the basic building block filling out the sonic picture. The Hammond’s stature matters especially much this time. Questions And Answers brings a complete shift in atmosphere, with Bonamassa putting masculine questions at the center of the lyrics – why on earth did a woman have to be so unbelievably nasty. Drama. Well, the album’s peak of melancholy, all gathered in one place, comes with the mid-album Mind’s Eye. The composition is set up to give the guitarist a brilliant frame for stretching out into one of the most fascinating solos on the album, where the mix of musical twists and bluesy longing is especially bitingly under-the-skin. The drama of all dramas. A deeply personal song that, with its honesty, would break even the most granite heart.
Curtain Call is a song of a special kind. A definite departure. It’s the darkest point of the album, yet brilliantly steeped in mystical character. Even the most ambitious track as far as arrangement goes. I dare say it’s even the most “progressive” one. Bonamassa could easily have contributed it to a new BCC album, if one were happening to get recorded this year. A twisting opening phrase, then the development with orchestrations, a pinch of oriental melody (the verse), where it’s suddenly clear, among other things, that the man knows the Led Zeppelin tune Kashmir very well. The solo in this song is on its own one of the highlights of the entire album. The wailing that pulls the ground out from under the listener just doesn’t stop. Celtic whispers and mystery arrive with ease in the follow-up, The Loyal Kind – a brilliant power blues ballad. The guy never runs out of dynamite, not for a second. At every moment of the new album, with his guitar playing and sensual vocal delivery, he’s constantly in exactly the right place. Nothing gets past him. The track is especially fascinating for how gradually its hungry atmosphere builds. The crescendo of this drama theater comes with a twisted, pouting and uncompromisingly chopped-off riff in the chorus. Hanging On A Loser after it brings more lucidity and cheekiness through a teasing boogie sentiment. The album closes with the fascinating blues rocker Known Unknowns, which is especially strong and well-defined guitar-wise, with a pile of embellishments and tricks seasoning the mix, the kind Bonamassa pulls out of his sleeve. Along the way, Bonamassa holds on to exceptional musicality at every step, as well as the theatricality of the escalating mood. It’s the album’s closing masterpiece.
Once again there’s no shortage of praise for “Time Clocks” either. In just over a year – yes, barely a year and a few days have passed – the guy has cooked up a completely fresh album that’s quite different in character from its more sophisticated predecessor, louder again, more rock-driven, yet at the same time lavishly loaded with a host of varied ideas, the engine behind nine outstanding blues rock numbers with no dips in quality among them. So on his new musical adventure, with the race against time front and center this time, Joe Bonamassa has once again delivered the best he’s got.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Pilgrimage
2. Notches
3. The Heart That Never Waits
4. Time Clocks
5. Questions And Answers
6. Mind’s Eye
7. Curtain Call
8. The Loyal Kind
9. Hanging On A Loser
10. Known Unknowns
Lineup:
Joe Bonamassa – vocals, guitars
Guest musicians:
Steve Mackey – bass guitar
Lachy Doley – piano
Bunna Lawrie – didgeridoo
Bobby Summerfield – percussion
Anton Fig – drums, percussion
Mahalia Barnes – backing vocals
Juanita Tippins – backing vocals
Prinnie Stevens – backing vocals
