The Ballad of John Henry (album)
2009 studio album by Joe Bonamassa
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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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Length | 64:23 | |||
| Label | J&R Adventures | |||
| Producer | Kevin Shirley | |||
| Joe Bonamassa chronology | ||||
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Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| 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
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Ballad of John Henry" | Joe Bonamassa, Mississippi John Hurt | 6:26 |
| 2. | "Stop!" (Sam Brown cover) | Sam Brown, 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 Tweeter" (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 |
| Total length: | 64:23 | ||
Personnel
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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 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||