Joe Bonamassa was a child prodigy who opened for B.B. King at just 12 years old. Joe has spent the last two decades building one of the most prolific and consistent careers in blues-rock. Whether he’s shredding at the Royal Albert Hall, collaborating with legends like Beth Hart or Glenn Hughes, or releasing yet another live album, Bonamassa has become the torchbearer for contemporary blues guitar.
With his latest release, Breakthrough, Bonamassa added another piece of good music to his discography. Not a massive fan of the title track as the opener, as I prefer the pace and mood of the following Trigger Finger, faster and more vibrant. Apart from that, I have no other objection to this album. I love Bonamassa when he goes fast or epic. It's the case of Broken Record, a fantastic ballad with an epic chorus and a stunning solo at the end of the song. I love this one, definitely my favourite song on the album. You can find it in my personal Best of 2025 playlist (click for the link).
I really like the single Shake this Ground, with a super catchy chorus, the happy mood of Still Walking with me, the dark riffs and the solo of Life After Dark (one of my favourites on the album), the Hard Rock mood of You Don't know me (fantastic riffs) and the bluesy final track, with lots of solos, Pain's on Me.
Breakthrough is the usual quality album you expect from Joe Bonamassa, in terms of songwriting, performance, and sound. Very fluid with a good format of 10 songs for 45 minutes, and a pleasure to listen to, especially if you are a guitar player. No skip tracks, just good music. Long live this amazing musician.
Rating 70/100