New Orleans Soul 2014

King of the World is back with a new guitarist (Stef Delbaere from Belgium which makes them a true European band) and a new CD “Connected”. A CD full of original material, written with guitarist Stef Delbaere, brings an energetic version of the familiar KOTW sound and leaves no doubt about why KOTW has been on top of the European roots scene for so long. They built their reputation through the release of three studio – and one live album (Can’t go home 2013, KOTW 2014, Live at Paradiso 2015 and Cincinnati 2016). All four albums scored sheer positive reviews in the European music press. But also a great live reputation has been built through shows at Festivals all over Europe like the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam.

Any discussion of the Top 100 '90s Rock Albums will have to include some grunge, and this one is no different. A defining element of that decade, the genre (and the bands that rose to fame playing it) was given credit for revitalizing rock at a badly needed moment. That said, there's far more to the story. Our list of the Top 100 '90s Rock Albums, presented in chronological order, takes in the rich diversity of the period.

Despite its hardscrabble title – a sentiment mirrored by the deeply etched black & white cover art – 2016's Blues of Desperation is very much a continuation of the bright, varied blues-rock heard on Different Shades of Blue. On that 2014 album, Joe Bonamassa made a conscious decision to pair with a bunch of Nashville songsmiths to help sharpen his original material, and he brings most of them back for Blues of Desperation, too…

Despite its hardscrabble title – a sentiment mirrored by the deeply etched black & white cover art – 2016's Blues of Desperation is very much a continuation of the bright, varied blues-rock heard on Different Shades of Blue…

Despite its hardscrabble title – a sentiment mirrored by the deeply etched black & white cover art – 2016's Blues of Desperation is very much a continuation of the bright, varied blues-rock heard on Different Shades of Blue. On that 2014 album, Joe Bonamassa made a conscious decision to pair with a bunch of Nashville songsmiths to help sharpen his original material, and he brings most of them back for Blues of Desperation, too. The tenor of the tunes is somewhat heavy – there are lonesome trains, low valleys, no places for the lonely – and the production also carries a ballast, something that comes into sharp relief on the Zep-flavored title track but can be heard throughout the record.

Despite its hardscrabble title – a sentiment mirrored by the deeply etched black & white cover art – 2016's Blues of Desperation is very much a continuation of the bright, varied blues-rock heard on Different Shades of Blue. On that 2014 album, Joe Bonamassa made a conscious decision to pair with a bunch of Nashville songsmiths to help sharpen his original material, and he brings most of them back for Blues of Desperation, too. The tenor of the tunes is somewhat heavy – there are lonesome trains, low valleys, no places for the lonely – and the production also carries a ballast, something that comes into sharp relief on the Zep-flavored title track but can be heard throughout the record.