Blues Rock Titan Takes Soul Singer To Heart, Earns Grammy Nomination

Seesaw Is The Sophomore Collaboration From Joe Bonamassa And Beth Hart

Album Features A Collection Of Soul Covers Made Famous By Artists Including Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Donnie Hathaway, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miles, Tina Turner, Slackwax, Melody Gardot, And Nina Simone

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Joe Bonamassa

Jan 09, 2014, 10:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Guitarist and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa, one of the best guitarists of his generation, and much buzzed about singer-songwriter Beth Hart, known for her raw and powerful blues-rock sound, have been honored with a Grammy nomination for Best Blues Album for their sophomore collaboration, Seesaw.

Three years ago when Bonamassa had an idea to make a soul record, he knew he wanted a great female vocalist to perform the songs while he played guitar. He immediately thought of Beth Hart and the two paired up to make their first record, 2011's Don't Explain.

"At that time, I had a vision of making a duet record with Beth Hart of great soul songs," said Bonamassa. "I knew Beth's real potential as a singer and felt she would be a perfect partner for me and my guitar on a project like this."

It was so well-received that they decided to make a second record, Seesaw. Produced by Kevin Shirley (Joe Bonamassa, Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes), Seesaw came out in spring 2013 and features Hart's scorching interpretations of eleven songs, with Bonamassa on guitar and an all-star band filling out the tracks. That too garnered enthusiastic reviews from critics praising the duo's "potent music chemistry" (MOJO) and calling them "a match made in heaven" (About.com).

Hart and Bonamassa performed a select run of live shows in Europe in June 2013 behind Seesaw which had critics raving: "You can feel the power of Beth's voice, this lady was born for the blues and her mentor Joe has shown her the way" (Blues In Britain).

The tour's final two dates at Amsterdam's famed Carre Theatre were filmed for CD, DVD and Blu-ray set for release in 2014.

Download the free single of "Seesaw" here.

Watch the Seesaw EPK here.

Bonamassa has had eleven #1 Billboard Blues Albums (more than any other artist), and this is his first Grammy nomination. Bonamassa's 2013 solo acoustic project, An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House, was nominated by the Blues Music Awards for Best DVD. The guitarist's 2009 DVD, Live From The Royal Albert Hall, recently received RIAA Platinum Certification.

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SOURCE Joe Bonamassa