"Live and Beyond"
Guitar hero Eric Johnson has been playing great music for many years. The only problem is his output of albums have been few and far between. Johnson is is very much the perfectionist, which you can tell by listening to any of his three studio albums. His last studio album, "Venus Isle", came out in 1996. It was time to expect a new release from Johnson, and I was quite surprised to see it in the form of a live release.
At first, I didn't know if the name of the album was "Alien Love Child" or the band name! It is the name of the new band that Johnson recently put together, and it consists of Bill Maddox on drums and Chris Maresh on bass. Johnson's playing is lightning fast at times, and can be very blues inspired on others. Johnson is from Austin, Texas so it would be quite un-natural for him to not play the blues once in a while. The cd is a broad feast of different musical styles, not too different than his studio offerings. "Live and Beyond" features seven instrumentals, which is typical of Johnson's output. "Last House on the Block" starts off with a nice blues rift along with Johnsons light yet soulful vocals. The middle of the song extends into a nice jam that would make Pete Townshend proud during the height of The Who's live performances! Guest vocalist Malford Milligan adds a nice touch to the slow and bluesy "Once a Part of Me". This song is an almost dead ringer for an old Stevie Ray Vaughan tune. "The Boogie King" or "Tribute to John Lee Hooker" is by far the best song on the cd. More a tribute in style to Hooker, the tune builds momentum as it goes along with it's pounding drum beat. "The Shape I'm In" is true to Johnson's trademark guitar style that he developed over the years. Quick, light and airy guitar notes jump around effortlessly in this fast moving tune. The cd ends with the lone studio track, "World of Trouble". It's another blues-inspired song that is highlighted with some Hammond organ.
I'm glad to see a new release by Eric Johnson, though I feel as if I will be more inspired in the future to listen to his studio albums more often than this release. Johnson excels on his glossy studio sound, and I guess that's what makes him so appealing in the first place. I still find the cd enjoyable, and the casual fan would find "Live and Beyond" very accessible. To hear Johnson's true genius, you may want to try "Ah Via Musicom" or "Venus Isle" first.
