BLACK COFFEE
| Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa
BLACK COFFEE
Black Coffee is the third cover album recorded by American singer Beth Hart and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, released on January 26, 2018 on J&R Adventures and Mascot Label Group. It follows their 2013 cover album together titled Seesaw. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Blues Rock Review
Even if they weren’t masters of their particular crafts in the way that they are, the album would be a hit from sheer collaboration and communication alone. Separately these musicians are gifted, but together, they really make something special.
-
Classic Rock
Bonamassa’s tireless work rate is at its most admirable on his duo albums with Beth Hart, which find him happy to sit back and showcase her vocal range.
-
Rock and Blues Muse
Four years ago, these two powerhouse artists teamed up for a scorching and tough-to-top album, but this follow-up still manages to take things to another level.
-
American Songwriter
It’s another compelling dose of rugged soul/blues inflected R&B covers, some quite obscure, as Bonamassa, Hart and producer Kevin Shirley (as involved with the song choices and arrangements as the featured players) reunite to try and ignite the sparks for a fourth go-round.
-
Rock n Load Magazine
What you get is Hart’s powerhouse vocals meshed with Bonamassa’s sublime playing to create a gorgeous recoding that is easy on the ear.
-
The Skinny
With inventive and explosive takes on old blues and folk tunes, jazz ballads, and some surprising contemporary work, Black Coffee showcases two incredible talents and scratches out a new groove in a very old record
-
My Global Mind
Although vocally and musically Hart and Bonamassa may have pulled off what they set out to achieve by demonstrating versatility, I feel this album is seriously let down by the choice of material, or maybe it’s just not for me…
-
All Music
They're working on keeping the flame burning, and Black Coffee may be their most effective testament in that effort to date.
-
Sonic Abuse
Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart may have their names on the billboard, but ‘Black Coffee’ is very much a whole band show, with each of the musicians involved bringing their own exceptional talent to the mix.
-
Renowned for Sound
Aficionados of blues and soul may find much in the album to praise or pillory, but a casual listener may find the experience of the album to be slightly underwhelming.
-
Liverpool Sound and Vision
It is in that first delicious drop of Black Coffee that the listener realises that the chemistry between Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa and producer Kevin Shirley is one that is not filtered down, can in no way be called pretentious or overpriced and it is most certainly a brew that is neither strange or concocted; it is just Black Coffee, and boy, does it resonate.
-
Musomuso
This album is a live perfomance wrappered by studio quality production. It has depth, richness and most importantly, energy
-
Vintage Vinyl news
Damn but this is fun! Beth Hart in full flow and Joe Bonamassa giving it the full beans. Wicked!
-
Staccatofy
Together, Hart and Bonamassa are a powerful duo and one of the best in blues-rock music.
-
Blues Doodles
Steaming Hot Black Coffee Courtesy of Beth Hart Joe Bonamassa Combo
-
That Devil Music
In its heart (no pun intended), Black Coffee is retro as hell…Hart and Bonamassa wear their love of these songs and the artists that originally sang them on their sleeves, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
-
The Midlands and Rocks
But what makes this endlessly repeatable is the song choice. There’s nothing obvious or cheesy here. We have Humble Pie mixed with Peggy Lee. There’s breakneck gospel and country blues, hell, there’s even the great Lucinda Williams (brave is the singer who tries to cover her) and, I kid you not, Austrian trip-hop.
-
The Rocktologist
Bonamassa’s fret howl makes plenty of attention grabbing appearances. There’s a good deal of the man’s magic touch on the brawny “Give It Everything You Got” or the fondly reminiscent “Joy”.
-
Herald Standard
Reunited, and it feels so good as California soul collides with New York cool.
-
Sea of Tranquility
The vibe they create is classy, classic and carefully respectful, while still allowing these old songs to be reshaped and honed into retro-modern foot stompers.
-
mxdwn.com
Hart and Bonamassa have done it again, producing a bluesy album full of energy and life. From Hart’s powerful vocals to Bonamassa’s wailing guitar, the two make a great duo and Black Coffee may be their best collaboration yet.
-
Cover Me
The pairing of Beth Hart’s back-of-the-bar pipes along with Joe Bonamassa’s impeccable guitar chops is a match born in Blues Rock heaven.
-
Classic Rock Bottom
When it comes to the performance, all ten songs are given a new life from the duo and when you do that to songs that may or may not have gotten their just due in the past, that can't be a bad thing.
-
Rawramp
This album proves, yet again, that Beth Hart is an extraordinarily effective mezzo-alto shouter and the smooth-man of the blues-rock guitar — Joe Bonamassa — can be a brawling, hot-tempered ham-boner when it’s required of him.
-
Photo Groupie
Here is an record that's never tepid or pedestrian even in more restrained moments. Like it's namesake it's best enjoyed strong, unadulterated and should come with a warning on the packaging: caution, contents might be hot.
-
New Delhi Times
Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa’s third studio album of mostly soul and blues sticks to the formula of “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” and it serves them well.
-
Jukebox Metal
it's a slightly bolder and more adventurous album than its predecessors, and while it's certainly not a game-changer of any kind, it proves to be a satisfyingly cohesive and enjoyable release for what is essentially a side-project
-
The Ledger Independent
They are bonded by their shared intensity, and the well-chosen repertoire, including many lesser-known tunes, gives them 10 opportunities to realize their potential.
-
Record Collector Magazine
The musical equivalent of a super-caffeinated espresso laced with Jack Daniels.
-
Chris High Reviews
Black Coffee isn’t so much an album but more of a listening experience; a musical monolith that makes you glad to be alive so as to be able to listen to it over and over and over again
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments