Tour de Force: Live in London - Royal Albert Hall

Personnel: Joe Bonamassa (vocals, guitar); Gerry O'Connor (banjo, fiddle); Arlan Schierbaum (keyboards); Anton Fig, Tal Bergman (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion); Doug Henthorn (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Kevin Shirley.
Liner Note Author: Joe Bonamassa.
Recording information: Royal Albert Hall, London (03/30/2013).
Director: Philippe Klose.
Photographers: Christie Goodwin; Marcus Sweeney-Bird.
Guitarist Joe Bonamassa was opening for B.B. King when he was only eight years old and was a veteran of the road and gigging by the time he was 12, so it's tempting to toss him in the "all-flash-but-no-soul prodigy" trash bin that has been filling up pretty well since the great Stevie Ray Vaughan shuffled off to blues heaven -- but that would be a big mistake. Bonamassa has soul, plenty of it, and he plays guitar with a reverent grace, and sometimes lost in all this is the fact that he's a pretty good singer, too, sounding more than a little bit like a reconstituted Paul Rodgers. This two-disc set is drawn from a show Bonamassa delivered in 2013 at the Royal Albert Hall in London that was recorded and filmed for CD, DVD, and Blu-ray release and features half acoustic arrangements and half electric arrangements, with the guitarist and singer in fine form in both settings. ~ Steve Leggett