7. Black Country Communion - The Outsider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kem4sLxtw9E Joe Bonamassa is a man I have
written about before, as I truly believe he's one of the most gifted and most identifiable guitarists I've ever heard. Whilst you could argue that the scales he's using have been deployed thousands of times before, by almost every guitarist on earth at some point, if you can find anybody that can actually play like him, I'll show you a thin Axl Rose from the past 15 years. Bonamassa's solo work is a treasure trove of bluesy licks and sleazy riffs, taking over your mind with Sauron-like intensity, except in this instance, instead of a flaming eyeball, it's a expertly cared-for trilby. Over to Black Country Communion though, and with the help of ex-Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes, and Jason Bonham (yes, son of John Bonham), the band put out two solid albums of solid retro-style hard rock with amazing vocals, and one where too much internal bickering produced a lacklustre third. On this piece though the band were firing on all cylinders, and after you've retrieved your teeth from the opening riff, when that solo kicks in and Bonamassa dumps the entire pedal of wah over his laser-accurate picking patterns, it was 'sit-up-and-take-notice-time' all over again. That's not to mention the upside-down progression that ends the solo, where I'm sure Bonamassa has deployed a bionic hand to accompany him, as any attempt on my part to replicate his finger-positions has begged the ability to sprout an extra digit. Seriously guitarists, have a go at that final ascending pattern, it's mind-bending.