THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOE BONAMASSA
Five years ago Joe Bonamassa’s biggest fear was failure. Now, at 44, he’s more concerned with time. The rapid passing of years. The inevitability of ageing, and the world’s response to it. The shelf life of the empire he’s built.
“I know there’s a second act in my life,” he says from his tour bus, still buzzing a little from two sold-out nights at Red Rocks amphitheatre in Colorado. “That’s my biggest fear, knowing that people who have worked for me for twenty years will have to find another career.”
Arguably this explains his work-rate of late. Somewhere between his nonprofit Keeping The Blues Alive foundation, producing albums for Eric Gales, Joanne Shaw Taylor and others, and interviewing stars for his Live From Nerdville podcast series, he completed his sixteenth solo studio album. With roots that predate last year’s Royal Tea record, Time Clocks conveys a sense of urgency through soul-searching tunes and expansive sounds that take in blues, rock, classic prog, funky touches and more.
NINE MONTHS AGO I THOUGHT MY CAREER WAS OVER
I was cool with is more urgent than some of the stuff before, because I feel it moving fast.
