Blues rock guitar hero Joe Bonamassa reunites with powerhouse soul singer Marc Broussard on the latter’s creative pivot with forthcoming new album, Chance Worth Taking, his first full album of original blues material, out 17th April via KTBA Records.
Produced by Bonamassa and Josh Smith alongside Calvin Turner, Chance Worth Taking features 14 brand new songs. Three were co-written by Broussard and Bonamassa, whose fretwork can be heard across ten of the tracks with plenty of incendiary soloing. Four were co-written with Smith and ten co-written with Turner, who also contributed to the album’s lush string and horn arrangements.
Out now, not one but two lead singles from the Louisiana singer/songwriter’s forthcoming new album.
‘No More’ is a sweeping cinematic blues ballad framing Broussard‘s yearning vocal with stately strings and Bonamassa‘s soaring guitar. ‘Fever’ delivers a slinky, modern roadhouse groove, driven by funky rhythm guitars, punchy horns, Smith‘s stinging leads, and an insistent beat. Together, the tracks serve as a powerful introduction to the album’s range, blending blistering guitar work with Broussard‘s signature vocal grit.
Chance Worth Taking is said to feature Broussard‘s signature “bayou soul” vocal, equal parts grit and grace, anchoring the album and tying together brawny shuffles, pleading soul-blues, horn-driven blues-rock, and Mardi Gras-infused funk.
The album took shape when Turner proposed original blues material and sent Broussard a folder of 15 instrumentals. Broussard then wrote lyrics as if possessed. “I would wake up at 6:00 a.m. and write until 11:00 p.m. I’d be in the studio sweating like a madman,” he recalled. The songs were finished in three manic days and refined in the studio with Bonamassa.
“I’m still more versed in soul music than in blues, but I’m getting an education in the genre and its history from Joe and Josh,” Broussard explained. “When we got into the studio, Joe wasn’t fully convinced we had a blues album, so he added to the songs we already had, and we wrote three others together. In the end, we got to the promised land.”
On Chance Worth Taking, Broussard explores a wide emotional and stylistic palette. There are big-band, B.B. King-style arrangements on the jaunty, swinging ‘Let Me Take You Out Tonight’ and the horn-riff-driven ‘Blame’, which is said to boast tasty, masterful improvisational interplay among Bonamassa, Smith, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Reese Wynans. The ’80s-inspired ballad ‘These Walls’ finds Bonamassa described as being “in rare form, soloing with a fire that’s both cinematic and pyrotechnic”.
Fans of classic Broussard will rejoice in the soul ballads ‘Chance Worth Taking’ and ‘Sweet Love’, while the album concludes on a New Orleans send-off with the brassy, booty-shaking ‘Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler’, a song co-written by Trombone Shorty and Broussard.
The full track listing for Chance Worth Taking is: ‘You’ll Be Sorry’, ‘Trying To Do Right’*, ‘I’m Going Home’, ‘No More’*, ‘Fever’**, ‘Chance Worth Taking’, ‘Let Me Take You Out Tonight’, ‘Sweet Love’, ‘These Walls’, ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’, ‘Blame’, ‘Whispers’, ‘Laissez Street Parade Intro’*** and ‘Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler’***.
*Features Bonamassa | **Featuring Smith | ***Featuring Trombone Shorty
“Man, I’m so excited about it all. It’s time for me to move into my bluesman phase. At this stage of my life, I’m all about it,” said Marc Broussard, who will also be appearing live in the UK later this month with Brian Mackey as support.
MARC BROUSSARD UK TOUR DATES
Mar 26 – The Blues Kitchen Manchester (Sold Out) Mar 27 – Islington Assembly Hall, London
‘Fever’ swings and skips over a brisk blues shuffle, Broussard‘s vocal narrative becoming more intense and intriguing as it proceeds. It’s in deep contrast to the gentle calm prevailing through the soulful mourning of ‘No More’.
The new singles are available on all major streaming platforms and you can check out the video for ‘Fever’ at RAMzine.
Chance Worth Taking is available to order via KTBA Records.
