An album in the can, another one in the works, and then this little DVD concert too? My, she sure came roaring out of the pandemic didn’t she?
Lights, Camera, Music!
I must be easy.
I was prepared to be impartial when I loaded up this concert DVD. But as soon as the lights came up and Joanne started her guitar lead into the first tune, I was all in.
Big 7-piece back-up band of consummate Nashville pros. Great sound. Great lighting. And at the center of it all, Joanne.
Impartiality be damned.
Now Joanne’s been away for a while – this was only her 2nd show in 2 years – but man, you’d never know it.
Her playing is so confident and so joyous, you just have to come along for the ride.
I did.
“I think it’s the most excited I’m ever gonna be…and just thankful. I really can’t wait to just get out and see people and you know, mingle and make music basically.” ~ Joanne Shaw Taylor
The Set
The set is terrific, well-paced, and all the performances are razor-sharp.
But that’s not unexpected, now is it?
Joanne’s been one of the best guitarists on the scene for some time now. That becomes abundantly clear when she’s joined on stage by guest stars Kenny Wayne Shepherd (and later Joe Bonamassa). Because you see it’s “the boys” that have to up their game. Joanne sets a high mark.
And of course Joanne’s voice – that smokey, raspy voice of hers – works so well with the Blues. She’s the complete package.
As an audience member, it’s easy to just sit back, relax, and enjoy. Because you know you’re in good hands.
Live Live Live
This was a special gig at the Franklin Theatre in Nashville.
The concert is a full 17 tunes-long. Well over an hour. Ten of the tunes are from Joanne’s recent release (The Blues Album). Seven more are bonuses.
Everything was staged for the filming & recording of this performance. No pressure!
But they pulled it off. No worries.
It was great to hear a live audience enjoy themselves. And I have to say that the film direction is pretty darn good. The cameras generally focused (and stayed focused) on the right musicians at the right times, with great angles. Sort of like what we do when we’re at a live performance. (Imagine that?)
I personally hate it when directors get trigger happy with their camera switches, ugh.
…Listening to and watching really good musicians perform in a live venue is a real joy. And this DVD gave me “the best seat in the house.”
Hmmm, I Wonder
I’m wondering if this will become a trend for certain artists.
This “concert-of-the-album-DVD” concept could work out for some.
It gives the artist a lot of promotional material to work with. For instance, they can make individual videos of every song. They can release little interview vignettes and such. And of course, they’ve got a DVD and a whole other album for release.
This has been Mr. Bonamassa’s formula in the past and it’s worked well for him.
It’s got to be a little expensive up front though. So an artist needs to believe they’ve got a good product to sell.
And the performance has to kick butt. So they’d better be able to deliver on the stage too.
Not everybody can pull this off. But Joanne did.
Joanne Shaw Taylor and Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive Records really delivered with this DVD.
Watch it on a big screen if you can (I did).
It’s a real good time!
Preview ‘Blues From The Heart Live’
…You can get ‘Blues From The Heart Live’ directly H E R E!
Thanks for reading!
Jon Beres
I’m one part Blues Fan and one part Digital Native (with a dash of Curmudgeon.) I’m also the publisher of AlltheWayBlue.com. If you love the Blues, I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine - cheers!
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