Joe Bonamassa. Blues deluxe (LP) (LP)

Joe Bonamassa's first solo release in 2000, A New Day Yesterday, paid homage to classic '70s blues/hard rock. Three years later, with the release of Blues Deluxe, the young guitarist is doing the same with the roots of the blues. Eight of the 12 tracks are covers: B.B. King's "You Upset Me Baby," John Lee Hooker's "Burning Hell," Buddy Guy's "Man of Many Words," Elmore James' "Wild About You Baby," T-Bone Walker's "Long Distance Blues," Freddie King's "Pack It Up," Albert Collins' "Left Overs," and Robert Johnson's "Walking Blues." The problem with about half of the disc is the difficulty of covering this type of material without being able to add much to it. At this relatively early stage in Bonamassa's discography, it may have been a better idea if he would have mixed 70-percent originals with a few covers instead of vice-versa. It's obvious Bonamassa has devoured this material, but his take on "Burning Hell," for instance, doesn't come close to matching the strength and realism of the original. The album's strong points are the three originals -- "Woke Up Dreaming," "I Don't Live Anywhere," and "Mumbling Word" -- and the Jeff Beck Group's "Blues Deluxe," which features smokin' guitar pyrotechnics. Still, thanks to musicians like Bonamassa, the more traditional blues artists covered on this disc continue to gain just as much exposure as younger artists as Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, or Jimi Hendrix.