Pick of the month:
MIDNIGHT IDOLS - "Nightrulers"
"Bloom" is the soundtrack to the contest between Eric Johnson, guitar virtuoso, and Eric Johnson, wheedling perfectionist. EJ has pulled out all the stops to prevent the manufactured feel of his past mistakes, bringing in guest collaborators and featuring many tracks under the four-minute mark. The first six songs are all short, well-crafted masterpieces that really kick the whole thing off with gusto. From the slippery uptempo boogie of "Summer Jam" to his rendition of Dylan's classic "My Back Pages" to the dance grooves (egad!) of "Good to Me", it would appear that EJ is out to deliver his strongest and most convention-damning record yet.
The rest of the disc, however is, a little spottier. The new agey "From My Heart" and irksome tickers like the Frampton-esque "Sad Legacy" and "Sun Around You" are warm and melodic, but cross deep into grocery store territory. You can almost hear the office receptionists offering, "Mr. Smith is on his line right now, would you like his voicemail?" over the hushed white toast melodies. "Cruise the Nile" is a breathy, synth-n-sitar take on the Lion King theme. "Tribute to Jerry Reed" (with special guest Adrian Legg) is a peachy truck-stop anthem with EJ taking on a Reed / Atkins out-of-phase Strat sort of guitarbecue. And the poppy gem "Your Sweet Eyes" fits side-by-side past Johnson's AOR-minded classics like "Desert Rose" or "Trail of Tears".
As a complete work, "Bloom" emerges victorious. The songs are accessible, the styles are diverse, and the performances are charismatic. The lion's share of the disc bounces with a zesty confidence and demonstrates Johnson's considerable growth as a guitarist and songwriter over the last few years. The occasional jaunts into Sting-like office fodder beg for omission, but with the plethora of inspired tunes presented here, they are easily sidelined. If witnessing the validation of an Olympian artist that can push the envelope while keeping his demons in check sounds interesting, pick this up. "Bloom" indeed.
OFFICIAL SITE: www.ericjohnson.com
MP3 SOUND SCRAP:
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