Joe Bonamassa - Royal Tea (Target Exclusive) (2020)

One of Joe Bonamassa's primary influences was Eric Clapton, so the idea behind Royal Tea makes some sense: he spends the 2020 album saluting British blues. This may seem like a distinction without a difference, since Bonamassa has never shied away from Zeppelin nods on his albums, but Royal Tea does indeed sound different than his other studio albums. Working with his longtime producer Kevin Shirley, the guitarist conjures the spirit of the Jeff Beck Group and Free, relying on heavy, churning riffs but also opening up the jams so there are elastic, soulful accents that help give the record a bit of period authenticity. Flourishes like swaths of wah-wahs on "I Didn't Think She Would Do It" and the crawling Fleetwood Mac atmosphere of "Beyond the Silence" evoke the album-rock era as much as the fuzz-chord stomp of the title track and the ominous bass-driven riff-rocker "Lookout Man." Bonamassa has plenty of opportunity to show his facility with synthesizing different classic guitarists -- there's a bit of Rory Gallagher and Peter Green to offset his Claptonisms -- but the best moment on Royal Tea is "A Conversation with Alice," a chiming bit of soul-pop where he channels the best moments of Steve Marriott. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine