Driving Towards The Daylight (LP)

On May 22, 2012, internationally renowned guitar superstar Joe Bonamassa will release a brand new solo album Driving Towards The Daylight (J&R Adventures) – his “lucky” 13th album. Driving Towards The Daylight was produced by Kevin “Caveman” Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin). This is their seventh collaboration in six years. Recorded at Studio At The Palms in Las Vegas, NV, The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, CA and The Cave in Malibu, CA, Driving Towards The Daylight is a balanced back-to-basics album that highlights Bonamassa’s sig­nature style of roots blues with rock-and-roll guts, while honoring the traditions of the original blues musicians. “We’ve taken some really traditional old blues songs – the Howlin’ Wolf song ‘Who’s Been Talkin’?’ and the Robert Johnson song ‘Stones In My Passway,’ and we’ve tried to imagine how they would do them in a rock context,” said Shirley. “It’s a very exciting return to the blues in a very visceral way. It’s vibrant and it’s gutsy and it’s really, really rugged.” To challenge Joe and move him out of his comfort zone, a unique group of musicians was gathered including Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford (guitar), Blondie Chaplan (guitar), Anton Fig (drums and percussion), Arlan Schierbaum (keyboard), Michael Rhodes (bass), Carmine Rojas (bass), Jeff Bova and The Bovaland Brass, Pat Thrall (guitar), and Brad’s son Harrison Whitford (guitar). Brad Whitford, speaking from the studio in Vegas, said, “This is definitely more influenced by the stuff that the guys and musicians in this room love, early ‘60s English and American rock and blues. I guess we’ll never get that out of our system and its fun to come in here and find our own path down that highway.” The album features five Bonamassa-penned originals including the bruising opener “Dislocated Boy,” the road warrior title track (and first single) “Driving Towards The Daylight,” “I Got All You Need,” “Heavenly Soul,” and “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go.” Other tracks include Bonamassa’s ver­sions of Tom Waits’ “New Coat Of Paint,” “Lonely Town Lonely Street,” by Bill Withers (Lean On Me, Ain’t No Sunshine) and “A Place In My Heart” by Bernie Marsden of White Snake (Here I Go Again). On the album closer, Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes sings lead vocals on his 1987 hit “Too Much Ain't Enough Love.”