Continuing Provogue's Joe Bonamassa release programme in Europe , “So, Its Like That” is another excellent effort from the guitarist they are all talking about. This album was actually recorded in 2002, before the hugely impressive “Had To Cry Today”. It's a measure of Joe's impressive musical maturity that he recorded a straight forward, riff driven, co- penned effort barely a year after making his mark with the Brit invasion inspired “New Day Yesterday”.

From the opening melodic rock of “My Mistake” through the Peter Green style “Oh Well” riff intro of the impressive “Lie Number 1”, to the rock solid harmonies of “No Slack” Joe measures each song to perfection. Sure there's an inevitability about the climactic solo, but each guitar phrase is fresh, and to the point, and in short Joe has in a relatively short recording career already delivered more than many in their entire career.

Above all, his vocals are more mellifluous than ever before. I prefer the shuffle feel of the tough rocking title track than the more commercial efforts, but as on the acoustic led, and mandolin infused “Never Say Goodbye”, Joe shows that he's not about to ditch his exciting chops for schmaltz..

Joe teams up with the redoubtable Will Jennings to deliver one of the album's finest tracks “Mountain Time”. The number soars on the back of a booming chorus, building confidently towards a trademark Joe solo.

It doesn't all work of course, on “Pain and Sorrow” Joe brings a Hendrix/SRV feel to his guitar phrasing to rescue a relatively non descript jagged almost Gov't Mule style tune. But just as you think he's rescuing the number the guitar parts build up dramatically in a startling jammed out closing section and you forget what has gone before, and the whole caboodle is turned round in a frenzy of axe attack. Then again on “Takin' The Hit” the riffs are relentless and hard hitting and simply mesmerising.

While the likes of Walter Trout have maintained their niche in the Rock Blues genre, through a mix of quality song writing and great playing, others such as Gov't Mule and Kenny Wayne Sheppard and Chris Duarte still have a way to go, but for me Joe is the number one contender in resurrecting the Rock Blues genre and crossing it over into a long forgotten mass popularity.

2) Joe Bonamassa "Blues Deluxe" Provogue Records
JBonamassa.com

Blues Deluxe promises to be the kind of album that Joe had to make to lay to rest any doubters in the old blues school who had him down as a Rock guitar player dabbling in the genre. His self penned shuffle opener sets the standard for some truly smoking playing, shot through with low down blues feel. Even on a slow blues title track, surprisingly penned by Rod Steward, Joe attacks the number in a key slightly above his natural abilities abut his passion gets him through, not too mention his tasteful guitar playing.

There's a lovely acoustic co write with Will Jennings” called “Woke Up Dreaming” which perfectly captures the authors intentions of a traditional blues feel in a contemporary setting, while the following “I Don't Live Anywhere”, again shows Joe's ability to turn the old blues genre into his own ends There's some startlingly mature singing on this album particularly when he doesn't force his voice, and relies more on the subtle phrasing on say “Long Distance Blues”.

Joe also delivers an Albert Collins number on the sparkling “Left Overs” ably supported by his rhythm section of slick bass man Eric Czar and drummer Kenny Kramer who adds cymbal splashes with abandon, all neatly topped by Benny Harrison's B3.

With perhaps only the rather pedestrian cover of the interpretation of Robert Johnson's “Walking Blues” (Jon Parris harp not withstanding), failing to really impress, Joe has done it again with another superb album from the blues rock contender of the year.

Since making this play list Rocky and his band have finally played London and what a cracking band they are. As “Voodoo Moon” suggests they may not be at the cutting edge of Rock Blues, but in terms of good old fashioned well crafted Texas Rock Blues this album offers the very best of the genre.

Larry has a fine voice a la Dave walker in the late 80’s Savoy Brown and Rocky has monster tone that many guitarist aspire to, and so few attain. Great stuff, the band hope to be back in the winter of this year, I urge you to catch them, they are very very good!

Rocky Athas has been around for about 20 years now, and while his career has stopped and started , his playing has matured like a fine wine.

Together with superb vocalist Larry Samford, Rocky delivers a wide ranging set of superb contemporary moon of which the title track is hugely impressive meaty shuffle, to match the steely licks of “Muddy Water Blues.”

This is an album best described as well crafted, full of restraint, dynamics, polished songs and above all the understated power of Rocky’s Texas shuffles, hard hitting blues – a player with enough variety in his salvo to rescue a ordinary tune such as “Aint No Doubt “ with a stunning solo.

Voted into the Top Ten Texas Guitar players poll, Rocky is about to tour the UK in an effort to get this album played by the more discerning music outlets. Once you’ve heard this album, you will probably wish to both purchase another copy and go and catch the band at Beards in Tooting!

With a recent sell out show in London , eclipsing even Gov't Mule's recent performance Robin Trower suggests that there is still much to come from the Rock Blues ancient regime. With new singer Davy Pattison impressing on both album and gigs Robin Trower has all but re invented himself.

It’s been a long time with several false dawns along the way including cancelled tours and a blues album on which Robin misguidedly sang.

Armed with a new batch of songs and confident Scots vocalist Davey Pattison, Robin breaks new ground stylistically. Sure there’s still the heavy presence of his big toned guitar but clearly there’s been a refinement and refocus of his material.

“Step into The Sun" for example is a solid enough rocker that cleverly employs an Eastern sounding (Kula Shaker) style guitar line., while “Another Time, Another Place” is an impressive slow burning bluesy outing on which vocalist Pattison dredges up the ghost of James Dewar and Trower adds a sumptuous solo. The following “Sweet Angel” comes close to Trower’s early career post Hendrix style, but it’s the ballad “Ain’t Gonna Wait” that impresses, as Robin’s song-writing takes on a new dimension. Similarly the closing bluesy ballad “I Want ToTake You With Me” is another fine example of a mature blues rocker, teasing out some real feel in both his playing and in his lyrical content. The extended guitar led outro is all that long time Trower fans could have asked for.

It’s been a long time but I’m pleased to report the wait has been worthwhile.

Here are some audio clips from Living Out Of Time:	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
Another Time, Another Place
Ain't Gonna Wait
I Want To Take You With Me

5).Big Dez “Night After Night”
BigDez.com

Mix together some long lost Spanish ancestry, some current Gallic feel for the blues, and blend with the essence of Texas blues from Austin (where else?) and you have the magic that is Big Dez.

In fact Big Dez is none other than French guitarist vocalist Phil Fernandez and his American music loving French pals, Bala Pradal on keys, Marc Schaeller on harp, Lamine Guerfi on bass and Nico Leophonte on drums.

Guests include ex pat British sax player Gordon Beadle, and Fab T Birds bass man Preston Hubbard.

OK credential over, this album does exactly what it claims, dropping you straight into a greasy Texas groove, but what sets Big Dez aside from the hundreds of other Texas bar room bands is the very fact that they are European, and go that bit further to deliver the best in Texas style rocking.

Phil delivers some fine guitar lines, and the band swings out complete with guest horn section on “Beautician Blues”, a number that demonstrates Fernandez's fine chops in counterpoint to the horn section.

Perhaps only Otis Grand could claim to be this authentic without losing the rocking feel. On the title track the band works up a head of steam with Bala Pradal impressing on piano.

Rather than being a French band who like many British bands try to impress you with their feel for Texan Blues, Big Dez, have gone for the big one and recorded the whole damn thing in Austin . On “Never Make Your Move Too Soon”, Beadle's sax blows the roof off, a sure sign that the session just like the album as a whole was burning.

Listen to the horn arrangements on “Number Two” and Phil's brash confident vocals over a swinging rhythm section, and you are hearing a band that is straining to give everything in the context of the music they love and play so well. Marc Schaeller adds a killer harp break on one of the album's very best tracks. On “Suspicion” the band deliver a cool blues full of restraint and poise showing their ability to reach deeper as well as swinging out. Big Dez, make a big impact and this is their second album and is well worth checking out.

8). Snowy White “The Way It Is” WFV
SnowyWhite.com

Little changes in Snowy White's world save for a remake of his hit, “Bird of Paradise”. Long time fans will recognise Snowy's guitar licks, that clean sound often delivered over a Latin back beat, as on the very impressive, Santana sounding “What I'm Searching For. The remake of “Bird of Paradise”, is a more stripped down affair, but still retains its original impact.

Aside from his work with Floyd and Thin Lizzy, Snowy has always been a player with a great touch and a feel for dynamics, that are usually bolstered by subtle percussive backing. His world weary voice sits neatly in between his clear guitar lines, and his whole musical style continues to lie somewhere between Peter Green (listen to how close he gets on Peter's own late 70's “In The Skies” album) and inevitably Carlos Santana (there's a raucous horn fuelled cover of “Black Magic Woman” here too).

But Snowy is happiest on numbers such as “Angel InsideYou (part 1”) where his solo's can build from a languid beginning to insistent beauty.

At this stage of his career, Snowy is not going to change a style that will continue to appeal to fans of the Mark Knopfler/Peter Green with its understated approach to guitar playing. Listening to this album with its superb arrangements and achingly beautiful solo's, the album's title “The Way It Is” probably says it all!

9) Paul Cox "Good To Me" Note Records
Note-Music.co.uk

Leslie West rolls back the years with some powerful Rock Blues and surprisingly god slide guitar. The heavy weight king of Cream inspired Rock Blues pulls off a heavy blues album in style.

This album should have been titled ‘Sledgehammer Blues”, or perhaps as Leslie puts is “blooze”. For the Meister of power riffs and America’s late 60’s answer to Cream continues to deliver some big toned notes and adds new stylistic departure with some mesmerising up front slide guitar

Leslie is all bluster and controlled power on guitar and tough vocals, along side the busy rhythm section of exiled British blues veteran drummer Aynsley Dunbar and Vanilla Fudge bass man Tom Bogert. There’s little continuity or originality in the choice of material but he does spring the occasional surprise such as Free’s “Walk In My Shadow”, and the closing solo interpretation of “Heartbreak Hotel”,

“Baby Please Don’t Go” is a raucous opener, underpinned by a thunderous rhythm track over which he adds impressive slide and big notes. Things get unimaginably heavier on “Third Degree”, but there’s a sense of dynamics on “I Can’t Quit You”, and on the curious acoustic opening and coda on “House of the Rising Sun”. It’s a nice touch, even if it does rob the song of its original climactic outro and fade.

There’s also real feel in West’s playing on “The Sky is Crying” and a similar sense of refined production, breathing space – gasp, even blues feel - on the echo reverb friendly “The Thrill is Gone”.

Les adds a snarly growl throughout, plays some of his best guitar lines to the max and this is arguably his best effort years.

Here are some audio clips from Got Blooze :	Broadband (CD quality)	Dial-Up (AM radio)
Third Degree
I Can't Quit You
The Thrill Is Gone