Beth Hart received a considerable boost from her collaboration with guitarist
Joe Bonamassa, but her 2013 album,
Bang Bang Boom Boom, finds the blues-rock belter returning to her comfort zone, working with producer
Kevin Shirley and running through a selection of songs that are originals; songs that emphasize
Hart's range and power. In some ways, this is the purest record
Hart has yet recorded; there is a real sense of what she can sing and how she lays back, waiting for the moment when her wailing would create the strongest disruption. That means
Bang Bang Boom Boom feels familiar without being complacent: there is no surprise in style but rather in attack, how
Hart waits for the precise moment to unleash her fury. Sometimes, it seems that
Hart would be well-served by stretching herself just a bit, but
Bang Bang Boom Boom isn't an album that's meant to surprise. It's supposed to hit its mark with precision and minimal flair, and that's exactly what it does. [The American edition contains a bonus track: the stellar live version of "I'd Rather Go Blind," that
Hart performed with
Jeff Beck at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to
Buddy Guy.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine