Joe Bonamassa - Pays Homage To The Blues Masters
More outstanding blues rock from one of this country's top young blues guitar slingers Joe Bonamassa. On this, his 3rd album, Joe does an album of mostly covers. Bonamassa breathes fresh new life into tracks originally performed by blues masters like Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Albert Collins, Robert Johnson and others. He also throws in a few original tracks as well. This is a very good blues album in many ways. Bonamassa covers all kinds of guitar styles here on electric, acoustic and slide. His interpretations of blues classics pay homage to the original versions, but Joe is able to put his own stamp on all of them. His cover of John Lee Hooker's "Burning Hell" is especially effective. Bonamassa continues to be one of the great young new blues talents on the circuit today and this is another very good album.

Simmer down
This phenom is getting major hype, huge kudos from newbies, some of it merited. He's got guitar chops, but is not original, and still has absolutely nothing on the generations of great blues guitar masters before him, whose stuff he's cobbled together into a slick commercial sound. Take the title track: Jeff Beck+ Stevie Ray Vaughan+ Buddy Guy+shreddy 80s/90s style is the end result, and you may still wind up thinking, hm, I've still heard better, more soulful, more honest. Go listen to some Guitar Slim, Roy Buchanan, Mike Bloomfield, Elmore James, the Kings, Icepick, etc. etc.

Pandora Picked it Right!
Pandora picked it right! Now that I have DSL I can listen to Pandora internet radio at home, and my favorite "channel" is my SRV one. All Blues, all the time. Up comes Joe Bonamassa's "Blues Deluxe" album, and I'd never heard him before. Made me come to a complete STOP and go into a trance. This guy really has it. I wish I could go to a live concert with him and Stevie Ray Vaughn - it would be the ultimate blues show.
Had to come out of my trance just to do this review! SOLD!

Great!
I'm gonna have to go back and listen to Jeff Beck's version of "Blues Deluxe," because it's rivaled by a damned fine rendition on this album! Hell, this whole album is great! A lot of killer electric blues, different styles of songs...it just never gets boring. Joe Bonamassa plays with a lot of grit and groove, and it makes the music very enjoyable and a helluva lot of fun to listen to. Good stuff!

studio practiced
I just love listening to Joe Bonamassa on my satellite radio, so I got this one, after checking the various reviews.
Although I still think he is the greatest, this album is a bit stiffer, it is very "studio"... too practiced... but still a high quality album, just that I prefer the radio stuff.