You’d think, given my history of passing myself off as a guitarist, that Joe Bonamassa would be the main draw for me here. As it turns out, it’s the pipes rather than the strings that made me add this one to the library.

I’ve had a funny history with female singers. For a long time they did absolutely nothing for me. I’d much rather hear Ian Gillan’s wail than Aretha Franklin’s. But a few years ago when The Answer released their Revival album, there was a track that featured the talents of Lynne Jackaman which I absolutely loved.

Off the back of that I checked out Lynne’s band Saint Jude. Their album had fortuitously come as a freebie with Classic Rock Magazine once, and because I’m a hoarder collector, I still had it. There was some trepidation still, but I slowly gained an appreciation for the soul to be found in the female larynx.

Since becoming a rather big fan of Lynne’s, I’ve gotten into a tonne of female singers and female fronted bands, both old and new. Imelda May, Blues Pills, Janis Joplin, Etta James, No Sinner, Dorothy… the list goes on.

Beth Hart is one of those singers that has a truly unique style, and is absolutely dripping in soul. She’s the perfect foil to Bonamassa, who’s playing on this album is uncharacteristically understated compared to his solo efforts. Not for nothing does Hart get top billing.

Maybe I’m going soft as I get older. I daresay if 17 year old Phil heard this album he’d call it shite and put some Manowar on. But goddam! A whisky soaked blues jam with the kind of growl Hart likes to adopt really tickles me in all the right places these days.