The Ballad of John Henry (album)

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

The Ballad of John Henry
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2009 (2009-02-24)
GenreBlues rock
Length64:23
LabelJ&R Adventures
ProducerKevin Shirley
Joe Bonamassa chronology
Live from Nowhere in Particular
(2008)
The Ballad of John Henry
(2009)
Live from the Royal Albert Hall
(2009)

Reception

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

The music website Allmusic gave The Ballad of John Henry four out of five stars, with its 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

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Ballad of John Henry"Joe Bonamassa, Mississippi John Hurt6:26
2."Stop!" (Sam Brown cover)Sam Brown, Gregg Sutton, Bruce Brody6:48
3."Last Kiss"Bonamassa7:15
4."Jockey Full of Bourbon" (Tom Waits cover)Tom Waits5:22
5."Story of a Quarryman"Bonamassa4:59
6."Lonesome Road Blues"Bonamassa3:08
7."Happier Times"Bonamassa6:40
8."Feelin' Good" (Cy Grant cover)Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley4:44
9."Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter" (Ike & Tina Turner cover)Aillene Bullock5:00
10."The Great Flood"Bonamassa7:39
11."From the Valley"Bonamassa2:24
12."As the Crow Flies" (Tony Joe White cover)Tony Joe White, Tennessee Swamp Fox3:58

Chart performance

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Blues Albums". Joe Bonamassa Album & Song Chart History. Billboard Music. Retrieved 10 January 2012. [dead link]
  2. ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  3. ^ Heaney, C. T. (11 March 2009). "Joe Bonamassa: The Ballad of John Henry". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Joe Bonamassa Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Joe Bonamassa Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Discografie Joe Bonamassa". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Discography Joe Bonamassa". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  8. ^ "Discography Joe Bonamassa". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  9. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Joe Bonamassa". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 January 2012.