Live at Carnegie Hall: An Acoustic Evening

Personnel: Joe Bonamassa (vocals, guitar); Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins, Gary Pinto (vocals); Eric Bazilian (banjo, mandolin, saxophone); Tina Guo (erhu, cello); Reese Wynans (piano); Anton Fig (drums); Hossam Ramzy (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Kevin Shirley.
Recording information: Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (01/21/2016/01/22/2016).
Photographer: Christie Goodwin.
Live at Carnegie Hall: An Acoustic Evening is the 15th live album Joe Bonamassa has released since 2002 but only the second acoustic live set. This means Live at Carnegie Hall, like 2013's An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House before it, stands out from his annual electric extravaganzas, sounding a little more subdued and relaxed than its companions. Bonamassa still spits out a flurry of notes -- that's his signature -- but the acoustic setting softens his aggression, and his band follows suit. The songs aren't so much reinterpreted as given a gentler touch, and in a catalog filled with similar feeling records, that distinction is welcome. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine