When you sign to a new record label, release a critically acclaimed record, and play a horde of sold-out shows across the UK/EU, what do you do next? You do it all over again!
Today Laurence Jones – who Classic Rock Magazine hailed as “the future of the blues” – announces his brand new studio album “Bad Luck & The Blues”, set for release on August 25th, 2023, via respected independent label, Marshall Records.
“Bad Luck & The Blues” is a return to form with interplay of deep-rooted blues and classic rock n roll. Recorded at The Marshall Studio, mixed by Chris Sheldon (Jeff Beck, Foo Fighters, King King) and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright (Jack Bruce, Robin Trower, Ten Years After).
Jones’ latest effort is rip-snortin’, hard-rockin’ blues album with one eye on 1970’s classic hard rock, and its counterpart very much focused upon the here and now. “Bad Luck & The Blues” is a love letter to hard hitting blues rock, with a concise, contemporary edge.
Refining his sound and returning as a power-trio that features long time bassist Jack Alexander Timmis (Virgil & The Accelerators) and new drummer Ash Sheehan (Glenn Hughes, Tony Iommi, The Twang), the new record sees Laurence at his rawest, showcasing his virtuoso guitar talents while remaining faithful to his blues roots.
“I started my career in a power-trio, and gradually moved away from that. Going back to those roots was an itch that I’d wanted to scratch for ages”, Jones explains. “Two of my biggest heroes were Gary Moore and Jimi Hendrix, and that’s the direction I wanted to go in, along with some more contemporary influences such as Queens of The Stone Age, Jack White, and Royal Blood. My main point of reference on this album was Robin Trower. I had been a fan for years, but I used lockdown to sink myself into his playing style and the tone he used”.
The pivot point when deciding to go all out with his dream, Jones cites New Year’s Eve of 2022. “I made it a resolution of mine; that’s why the line-up changed so quickly before the next tour”, he remembers. “You only live once. I have Crohn’s disease, so I never take anything for granted. You should live every day like it’s your last”.
Along with the announcement comes the release of the brand-new video for “Lonely Road”, which sees Jones acknowledging his personal struggles and daily trials, while keeping two hands on the wheel, and his sights dead set on the horizon ahead. Watch the video for “Lonely Road” below.
“We all have our ups and downs twists and turns, and in many ways, we come to many crossroads, but at the end of the journey we all reach the same place… Enjoy the ride while you can. We all travel through this life together but when on the verge, we all walk alone. For many years I’ve battled with my Crohn’s disease”, shares Jones “and many times I have ventured down my own personal lonely road. Everybody’s experiences in life are different, and we all have our own individual troubles. This song tells us we must continue and keep on the right path. ‘Lonely Road’ was recorded live in the studio, so what you hear on record is what you get live. True honest blues rock played by three musicians in a room, playing from the heart”.
“Bad Luck & The Blues” will be released 25th August 2023 via Marshall Records.
Pre-order & pre-save “Bad Luck & The Blues” here.
Tracklist:
1. Bad Luck & The Blues
2. I’m Gone
3. Lonely Road
4. Don’t You Leave Me This Way
5. Lost & Broken
6. Stuck in the Night
7. Take Control
8. Out in the Distance
9. Woman
10. You’re Not Alone
Jones has also already announced more European dates for later in the year, with others to be announced. Check them out below!
Live Shows 2023:
Mon 29 May – Ribs & Blues, Raalte NL
Thu 16 Nov – P60 – Amstelveen – NL
Sat 18 Nov – Heyhoef Backstage – Tilburg- NL
Sun 19 Nov – Iduna – Drachten – NL
Wed 22 Nov – Paard – Den Haag
Sat 25 Nov – Bibelot – Dordrecht- NL
Laurence has shared stages with the likes of Status Quo, Sir Van Morrison, Sir Ringo Starr, the late Jeff Beck and Johnny Winter, Joe Bonamassa, Wishbone Ash, Glenn Hughes, and Vintage Trouble among many others. In 2017, Buddy Guy, who once likened Laurence to “a young Eric Clapton”, invited the youngster to join him onstage at the Holland International Blues Festival before of an audience of 15,000. Jones has also appeared at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall in London and New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Weblinks:
www.laurencejonesmusic.com
www.facebook.com/laurencejonesmusic
