Casey Phillips: For blues rock guitar aficionados, watching 32-year-old Joe Bonamassa's star rise has been akin to witnessing the rebirth of Stevie Ray Vaughan. He opened for B.B. King at 12 years old and has won an unprecedented three consecutive Artist of the Year awards from BluesWax Magazine. Some say he's the finest blues guitarist of his generation. Listening to "The Ballad of John Henry," Bonamassa's seventh studio outing, his status as an artist is easy to understand.

Barry Courter: The guy is a monster guitarist, no doubt. As a guitar player, he has both a subtle and a scorching touch that is doubtless influenced by his hero, Eric "Slowhand" Clapton. Some guys are very skilled and technical, and some are more emotional. He manages both more often than not.

Casey: Bonamassa is undeniably at his best when he's got fingers to strings, pouring emotion into every note. Blues music delivery, vocally and instrumentally, is more about believability than flash. Bonamassa's guitar work does both, landing lightning-quick lines while conveying soul-wrenching emotionality.

When he's singing, however, the results aren't always stellar. I found myself too often reminded that Bonamassa was from upstate New York, not a poor Southern farm hand or miner. That killed the authoritative perspective during songs like "Ballad of John Henry" and "Story of a Quarryman," even though the playing was outstanding.

Barry: It's a tricky thing, isn't it? I couldn't help but hearing the vocals on a few numbers without feeling like I'd heard it all before. I'm not a big fan of Clapton's vocals either, so I'm not sure how much of negative that really is. Familiar or not, it's a dang fine record filled with plenty to like if you are a fan of guitar-driven blues rock.

Casey: Indeed. Despite my quibbles, this is far from a failure as an album. There are times when Bonamassa stands behind the songs so strongly you can't help but believe every word he says. When that happens, guitars and vocals mesh to outstanding results, particularly during the epic, 7-minute sprawl of "The Great Flood."

Barry: There are any number of subgenres within blues and, for my tastes, simpler is better. When he sticks to that formula, the results are very good.

Casey: To blues guitar fans, "Ballad of John Henry" is an easy sell. The guitar work on display is phenomenal, but there are moments when the critical connection between singer and song were too tenuous for my liking. For more casual fans of the genre, that may rankle.