Sometimes music comes along that not only reaches your ears but shoots straight into your heart. That happened to me when I discovered the LP Live in Amsterdam by vocalist Beth Hart and guitarist Joe Bonamassa. What happens there on stage is pure fire.
This live recording, recorded at the Royal Theater Carré in Amsterdam, is no ordinary concert. It is a musical explosion in which two worlds come together: the raw, emotional power of Beth Hart and the virtuoso, bluesy guitar playing of Joe Bonamassa.
What makes this record so special is the energy. Everything is real. No filter, no tricks – just pure passion and incredible musicality. From the first note you feel: this is not a gig, this is an experience. How Beth Hart performs I’d Rather Go Blind with that dark undertone and vulnerable intensity is like hearing her heart break with every sentence she sings. She doesn’t sing about emotion, she is emotion.
For me, it really became personal when I started rehearsing Close to My Fire with “Vintage 5,” of which I am a vocalist. What began as a musical choice became a deeper exploration. With each rehearsal, I became more captivated by Beth Hart. Her timing, her expression, her power … it’s as if she puts her whole soul into every phrase. And it didn’t stay with that one song, Fire on te Floor (from a later LP, by the way) soon followed on our playlist.
Because of the LP Live in Amsterdam, my love for the blues has only grown. Not as a genre, but as a feeling. Blues is not a style – it’s a voice, a vibration, a truth. And Live in Amsterdam is proof to me that music can transform you.”