A New Album, Ornaments and One Ugly Sweater: Merry Christmas from Joe Bonamassa!

The holiday season has just become a lot more fun thanks to Joe Bonamassa. The rocking blues man has a few things cooking for Christmas including the release of a new Christmas album, Lonely Christmas Eve. The first single from the 15-song album is the title cut "Lonely Christmas Eve," a co-write between Bonamassa and James House (George Strait, Bonnie Raitt) that's a bright and jangly pop-leaning song about how friends come over to keep a guy who's missing his gal from having a lonely Christmas Eve. Other cuts on the album include the twangy "Bring Back My Cadillac," the horn-filled rave up that is "Christmas Comes But Once a Year," the funky groove of "Christmas Boogie" and the jingle bells enhanced "Hello Christmas" where Dion and Amy Grant handle the vocals. "Merry Christmas, Baby" is one of the most-bluesy cuts on the album where Joe moans out the vocals while also ripping it up on guitar; "Christmas Date Blues" on the other hand is a big and swinging blues strutter. Two of the holiday chestnuts that Joe covers are "O Holy Night" in a regular and an orchestral version (both are instrumentals and both are spectacular) and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" in regular and Irish renditions; again both are done as instrumentals. Lonely Christmas Eve is available from your favorite streaming service.

Bonamassa has gotten to be quite a marketer of merchandise and he's offering some very cool goodies for the holiday season. There are two different six-count sets of round, shatter-resistant "Bona-ments" ornaments that feature guitars (of course) and Christmas trees and Santa, there are Christmas tree-shaped ornaments, Joe in a Santa cap playing a Flying V guitar ornament (or 10 other guitar styles) and three varieties of snow globes to shake up your holiday. There's the Ice Cold Blues apparel line too that features a bluesy snowman in sunglasses and playing guitar (sound familiar?) available on T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts and hoodies; similarly there are Rockin' Santa T-shirts. And to top it all off, for the first time this year Joe has an official ugly sweater on offer; the design features guitars, picks and guitars arrayed in a pattern that replicates the look of a snowflake. We think this "ugly sweater" is actually very attractive! To see and purchase the above items and any of the other holiday items in the vast Bonamassa collection go here.

Bonamassa will launch a spring US tour in mid-February 2025 that'll last for a month; after that he heads out on a European tour. And he'll be captaining a couple of his famed Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruises in 2025 too, the first in March that'll sail the Caribbean and the second in September that'll find blues fans rocking the high seas to Alaska. For all Joe Bonamassa tour and cruise dates go here.

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