The wait is over, Joe Bonamassa’s much-anticipated new solo studio album Royal Tea is finally here, available today online and in stores from his own label J&R Adventures! Last month, Bonamassa delivered a groundbreaking live performance from the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where he played Royal Tea in its entirety to over tens of thousands of people across the globe. Now fans worldwide can enjoy the album whenever they want! Recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, Royal Tea features honorable nods to his British heroes Jeff Beck, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and Cream.
Bonamassa is known for taking risks and venturing into uncharted territory throughout his wide-ranging career but now he has found a new way to surprise his fans and music lovers. “This whole adventure,” admits Joe, “was a bucket-list thing for me.” This album reconnects the 43-year-old with the guitar-slinging kid from upstate New York, who stumbled across the best of British blues music in his dad’s vinyl collection – whose influences have shaped him to be the player he is today. “I would have been about twelve years old, and it was the sound I heard in my head. Like, ‘OK, I’m in. That’s what I want to be’.”
These ten original tracks were co-written by Joe and a cast of homegrown notables including former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden, ex-Cream lyricist Pete Brown and national-treasure piano man Jools Holland. “Writing this record in London has done its job,” reflects Bonamassa. “It really does sound inherently British. Bernie and I, we finish each other’s sentences. We’re cut from the same cloth.” Bonamassa’s long-standing producer Kevin Shirley and regular touring band flew in for the recording sessions, which included Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass) and Reese Wynans (keys).
JOE BONAMASSA – ROYAL TEA TRACKLIST:
1. When One Door Opens
2. Royal Tea
3. Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye
4. Lookout Man!
5. High Class Girl
6. A Conversation With Alice
7. I Didn't Think She Would Do it
8. Beyond The Silence
9. Lonely Boy
10. Savannah