Joe Bonamassa hasn’t really been a ‘singles guy’ in the past but recently he has been making music that really suits the short form and ‘Notches’ is both a perfect single and classic Bonamassa.
Co-written with Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke) and produced by Kevin Shirley, this has all the blast and sheer groove you could possibly wish for and a really good treatment on his vocals.
As usual, he has surrounded himself with a terrific band: includeing Steve Mackey (bass), Lachy Doley (piano), Bunna Lawrie (didgeridoo), Bobby Summerfield (percussion), and Anton Fig (drums and percussion), along with Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins, and Prinnie Stevens on backing vocals.
Typical of Bonamassa, ‘Notches’ is unlike anything on his last album ‘Royal Tea’, a really full and powerful sound – tinges of Southern Rock perhaps – driven hard by Fig’s drumming and a great riff.
This one bodes very well for his upcoming album to be released by Provogue/Mascot Label Group later this year