Joe Bonamassa

Joey B, like most axmen post-Stevie Ray, cuts his electric blues with classic and Southern rock of a 1970s vintage, something that's apparent from Sloe Gin's outset. "Ball Peen Hammer" boasts "Like a Rock"-inspired theatrics replete with chunky piano, symphonic touches and I'm-a-loner acoustic fingerpicking. But no worries -- the upstate New Yorker's throaty howl and killer slide still run the show, even if he's more state fairgrounds than seedy juke joint.