The Ballad of John Henry (album)

The Ballad of John Henry
Studio album by Joe Bonamassa
Released February 24, 2009
Genre Blues rock
Length 64:23
Label J&R Adventures
Producer Kevin Shirley
Joe Bonamassa chronology

Live from Nowhere in Particular
(2008)		 The Ballad of John Henry
(2009)		 Live from the Royal Albert Hall
(2009)

The Ballad of John Henry is the seventh studio album by American blues rock musician Joe Bonamassa. Produced by Kevin Shirley, it was released on February 24, 2009 by J&R Adventures and topped the US Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
PopMatters (7/10) [3]

Music website Allmusic gave The Ballad of John Henry four out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine claiming that "everything that [Bonamassa]'s dabbled with on previous albums is pulled together here, making for his most varied album and possibly his best, even if that heaviness means that it's not necessarily the easiest to enjoy".[2]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "The Ballad of John Henry"  Joe Bonamassa, Mississippi John Hurt 6:26
2. "Stop!" (Sam Brown cover)Gregg Sutton, Bruce Brody 6:48
3. "Last Kiss"  Bonamassa 7:15
4. "Jockey Full of Bourbon" (Tom Waits cover)Tom Waits 5:22
5. "Story of a Quarryman"  Bonamassa 4:59
6. "Lonesome Road Blues"  Bonamassa 3:08
7. "Happier Times"  Bonamassa 6:40
8. "Feelin' Good" (Cy Grant cover)Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley 4:44
9. "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeler" (Ike & Tina Turner cover)Aillene Bullock 5:00
10. "The Great Flood"  Bonamassa 7:39
11. "From the Valley"  Bonamassa 2:24
12. "As the Crow Flies" (Tony Joe White cover)Tony Joe White, Tennessee Swamp Fox 3:58

Chart performance

Chart (2009) Peak
US Billboard 200[4] 103
US Billboard Top Blues Albums[1] 1
US Billboard Independent Albums[5] 8
Dutch Albums Chart[6] 23
Swedish Albums Chart[7] 46
Swiss Albums Chart[8] 97
UK Albums Chart[9] 26

Personnel

Musical performers
Production personnel
Additional personnel

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Blues Albums". Joe Bonamassa Album & Song Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Review". Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry. Allmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  3. ↑ Heaney, C. T. (11 March 2009). "Joe Bonamassa: The Ballad of John Henry < PopMatters". popmatters.com. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "Billboard 200". Joe Bonamassa Album & Song Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Independent Albums". Joe Bonamassa Album & Song Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Discografie Joe Bonamassa". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Discography Joe Bonamassa". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Discography Joe Bonamassa". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Chart Stats - Joe Bonamassa". Chart Stats. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.