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
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."
has plenty of opportunity to show his facility with synthesizing different classic guitarists -- there's a bit of
Rory Gallagher
Peter Green
to offset his
Clapton
isms -- but the best moment on
is "A Conversation with Alice," a chiming bit of soul-pop where he channels the best moments of
Steve Marriott
. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine