For those unaware, blues legend and guitarist Eric Gales takes his rightful place at the head of the blues-rock table as he releases Crown, his career-defining new album, out January 28th, 2022 via Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group.

Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, Crown finds Eric opening up like never before, sharing his struggles with substance abuse, his hopes about a new era of sobriety and unbridled creativity, and his personal reflections on racism.

Five years sober, creatively rejuvenated, and sagely insightful, the songs on Crown are delivered with clarity and feature Eric’s personal experiences and hope for positive change.

Simply put, Crown is Eric at his most boldly vulnerable, uncompromisingly political, and unflinchingly confident.

1. Death Of Me
2. The Storm
3. Had To Dip
4. I Want My Crown (feat. Joe Bonamassa)
5. Stand Up
6. Survivor
7. You Don’t Know The Blues
8. Rattlin’ Change
9. Too Close To The Fire
10. Put That Back
11. Take Me Just As I Am (feat. LaDonna Gales)
12. Cupcakin’
13. Let Me Start With This
14. I Found Her
15. My Own Best Friend
16. I Gotta Go

This quite breathtakingly evocative, rhythmically organic and already one of my Top 5 albums of 2022, opens on the vocal statement “My name is Eric Gales ... any questions?” and then flows right into the pounding Death Of Me and the emotive The Storm and then brings us the .30 second instrumental Had To Dip and then comes the simply magnificent first single, I Want My Crown (feat. Joe Bonamassa); which opens with a fanfare of elegant lead guitar virtuosity before slipping into a deliciously funky groove.

This brand of clean and focused guitar work continues onward with the R&B gospel flow of Stand Up and the free flowing blues of Survivor which are in turn backed by the hard hitting storytelling found within You Don’t Know The Blues, the scorching Rattlin’ Change and then the mid-tempo, rocking blues Too Close To The Fire and the foot-tapping Put That Back are brought forth.

Up next is the gentle funk hipsway of Take Me Just As I Am (feat. LaDonna Gales) and the delightfully jaunty Cupcakin’ and they are in turn seamlessly followed by the forthright Let Me Start With This, the Parisian-imbibed, balladry delicacy I Found Her, this vibrantly honest album rounding out on the reflective, lonesome ode My Own Best Friend, coming to a righteous close on the finger-snapping, toe-tapping vibe of the aptly-titled I Gotta Go.

The story behind Crown dates back to the early 1990s when as teenagers Eric and Joe were both hailed as blues wunderkinds and torchbearers. The pair went on to very different lives and careers, but Eric’s full potential was hampered by his substance abuse issues, and in 2009 Eric hit bottom and served jail time at Shelby County Correction Center for possession of drugs and a weapon.

Eric and Joe reconnected in 2019, when Joe invited Eric to play with him onstage at a blues cruise encore performance. It was the first time the guys had played live together onstage in 25 years, and it has since been named one of the most explosive guitar duels ever, amassing over 3 million plays on YouTube.

“There was always a brotherhood with us. When we reconnected, Joe said to me, ‘You’re a badass guitarist; it’s your turn to get your seat at the table to wear your crown’,” Eric recalls.

Shortly after their iconic face-melting jam, Eric approached Joe to produce him. “We cried when we talked about it, he said ‘you have no idea how long I waited for you, now I am going to do my part to lift you where you’re supposed to be.’”

The Crown album journey is exhilarating, and, much like Eric’s life, winds through moments of victory and vulnerability. Along the way, Eric shares his story and his feelings through the majesty of the blues.

He says: “When I play, the core is always the blues, and on this album, we go through a theme park of the blues, exploring all kinds of blues. We visit the carousel, the bumper cars, the water rides, the concession stands, and we all come out with smiles.”

Eric Gales is a blues firebrand. Over 30 years and 18 albums, his passion for the music and his boundless desire to keep it vital has never waned, even when his own light dimmed due to his substance struggles.

Since 1991, the Memphis-born guitarist has blazed a path reinvigorating the blues with a virtuosity and rock swagger that have him being heralded as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix.

He was a child prodigy with bottomless talent and fierce determination, and at just 16 years-old released his debut, The Eric Gales Band, on Elektra Records.

He’s earned high praise by guitarists’ guitarist and household name axe men such as Joe Bonamassa, Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro, and Mark Tremonti.

In addition, he has held his own with some of the greatest guitarists in the world, including Carlos Santana at Woodstock 1994, Zakk Wylde, Eric Johnson, and a posse of others as a featured guest touring with the Experience Hendrix Tour.

Eric Gales - I Want My Crown (feat. Joe Bonamassa) - Official Music Video

Eric Gales - You Don’t Know The Blues (Official Visualizer)

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