Jonny Lang Bends Some Fabulous Notes on "Turn Around"

For those of you who at sometime in your life have experienced the joys and angst of dieting you may recall just how mouthwatering good that slice of pie or piece of cheesecake looked to you. You wanted to savor every last morsel of it if only you could. Hold that thought because that is exactly the way you are going to feel when you begin to spin Jonny Lang's new CD "Turn Around".

There are thirteen delicious Blues, Neo Soul and good ol' Gospel songs on this splendid album. Singer, songwriter and guitar virtuoso Jonny Lang was a childhood wonder kid. Early in his teenage years he was sharing the stage with Buddy Guy and B.B. King. Lang's debut CD "Lie To Me" which was released when he was fifteen went platinum. The next year "Wander This World" was released and it too went platinum. It won't be long before "Turn Around" joins those two albums in that stellar class.

The album in many ways chronicles the Blues artist's life. Although he is only twenty-five years old he has seen a lot, done a lot and changed a lot. He would tell you that he has been rescued from much. He owned the world at fifteen and descended into a life of drugs and alcohol by his late teen years. It therefore makes all the more poignant songs such as "Thankful" a groovin', hip swaying Gospel tune. The song will get you up off your chair, out of your concert seat and dancing where you are. "Thankful" boasts the incredible vocals of Lang and Michael McDonald. There is also a spectacular performance by the choir providing backup vocals but the names are too numerous to mention all the gifted singers. Go check out the song credits on the CD cover because these people are worthy of you taking the time to do so.

I guarantee that you will be hooked in the first thirty seconds of the opening track "Bump In The Road". Lang possesses a soulful rasp that comes from deep within and is filled with passion. "Bump In The Road" demonstrates the R&B/Blues sensibilities of a man who will dominate the Blues scene for the next quarter of a century.

As you listen to the second and third tracks you will run out of superlatives to describe what you hear. Nobody has sung soul with this much passion and energy since James Brown was at his peak in the sixties.

The title track "Turn Around" alone is worth the price of the CD. There is an extended guitar solo by Lang that ranks up there with anything you have heard from Bonnie Raiit and Eric Clapton.

"My Love Remains" is a gentle tune with a distinct southwest flavor. The song has rocked the charts all summer long. The song can best be described as poetry set to music.

"Put on that smile it’s time to face another day

Tell everybody everything’s o.k.

How much longer can you play this game?

Tell me how much more can you take

I see the broken heart you try so hard to hide

I see the tears you hold back in your eyes

I sing the song that you might realize

You’re not alone and I’ll be there,

Like the sun that continues to shine

Just beyond the clouds in the sky

And if ever I seem to be so far away

Remember my love remains"

The melancholic "Only A Man" paints the bleak picture of what Lang's life had become before he climbed out of the miry pit of addiction. The song transcends into whispers of a better life and happier days. Throughout the tune Sara Watkins' fiddle first paints mournful shadows and then provides peaceful overtones. The real jewel in this song however is the duet that Lang performs with his wife Hailey. Hailey's delicate vocals join her husband's unique blend of grit and falsetto.

The 12^th track "On My Feet Again" swings closer to R&B than it does straight up Blues however Lang doesn't miss a beat. It prompts one to ask how a white guy still in his mid twenties got blessed with such a seasoned soulful set of pipes that belie his age.

Turn Around (the CD) is about a guy who turned his life around, is riding the wave and like his outstanding song says, "Anything Is Possible". The singer lets you know that it might not be easy but you can climb that mountain and it is backed by references to Martin Luther King Jr. including a sound clip from King's famous 'I have a dream' speech.

Lang's incredible riffs are supported by Jim Anton's outstanding work on bass and Drew Ramsey's licks on rhythm guitar. Honorable mention for great instrumental work on Turn Around goes to the horn section comprised of Quentin Ware (trumpet), Jim Horn (baritone sax), Barry Green (trombone) and Chris Dunn (tenor sax). Shannon Sanders' organ grooves are memorable.

All material protected by copyright-All Rights Reserved by the author Joe Montague

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John Lee Hooker Jr. Is So Cool, He's As Cold As Ice

While the Texas sun is melting those ice cubes in your margarita and the temperature soars you can still be cool with John Lee Hooker Jr's new CD Cold As Ice. Hooker is a working man's Blues artist. "I write what I've done, lived and witnessed. That's what you hear, what I've experienced," he says. Hooker spent the better part of two decades fighting off the demons of alcoholism, and drug addiction. He spent time in jail for the later.

He took a few moments to reflect upon what turned his life around and in a positive direction. "When you are level with the ground and you are tired of being on the ground you are going to do one of two things. You are either going to stay there or you are going to have the desire to get up. My dad would always tell me, 'You got too much talent, to be down there.' He was a great encourager. You get tired of being in that valley. I didn't want to stay there. Everybody can't say that. (Some people) will say I don't want to be here but I can't get up. I wanted to get up." Hooker credits God, family and friends as making the difference.

The year 2004 was a breakthrough year for Hooker as he received a Handy Award and was nominated for a Grammy, both for his CD Blues With A Vengeance. How does John Lee Hooker Jr. feel about the accolades now coming his way? "It means a lot because I witnessed my dad working very hard catching a bus to work, getting a ride to work, carrying his own equipment. I watched how hard work changed his stature into a giant stature. It’s hard work that brings about these things (such as the awards) so when I won (The Handy Award) and I was nominated (Grammy) it was proof to me, not that I needed proof but it was proof to me that it was a direct result of the hard work. This is what I am supposed to have right here the nominations and the wins. That goes for anybody. If you work hard you get a paycheck or you get a promotion. You won't get it laying down and being complacent with what you are doing. You gotta' work hard and that's what I am out here doing. I'm out here on the road promoting the CD. I believe in it. I am sure one way or the other it is going to pay off. That's why I am out here. I am not out here just for the money. Keep in mind one of the rewards is seeing and hearing the requests from the people who have already purchased my CD Cold As Ice. It tells me that people are listening to what they have heard on the radio and they want to hear it live. Hard work brother that is what it is about."

Hooker mixes traditional Blues themes of lost love and heartache with modern phrases like "received a text message" ("You Blew It Baby") Will "Roc" Griffin is outstanding on the keys, while the guitar duo of John Garcia Jr. and Jeffrey James Haran bend some great Blues notes.

Hooker talks about the necessity to keep evolving the Blues, "Music grows just like everything (else). Everything changes but it is still the Blues. We are out here (touring) and that is what we are doing keeping the Blues alive." He sees combining newer styles and yet retaining an element of traditional Blues roots as being essential to the continual production of quality Blues music.

Fans of more traditional style Blues music are going to love his eighth, ninth and tenth grooves on Cold As Ice. The songs "Trapped", "In The Mood" and "Oh Baby" highlight the musicianship of Griffin and bassist Frank "Tebo" Thibeaux. Once again Haran and Garcia lay down some terrific licks.

The title track "Cold As Ice" is not a song for the faint-hearted woman in the listening audience. The reference "Cold As Ice" is a reference to a woman who can only be described as a modern day Jezebel. Rather than using hard-hitting lyrics that leave you wondering if the man thinks all women are evil Hooker he uses parody and humor to take a lighthearted approach to examining a toxic relationship. I am sure before long women in the audience at Hooker concerts will be singing 'He was cold as ice' and I suspect that would put a smile on the Blues man's face."

Hooker perks up when I asked him who came up with the idea for the cover of Cold As Ice. "I did." He is dressed completely in white, a suit, fedora, shoes, shirt, tie and boutonnière. He is standing on an iceberg or glacier and other than his name all that appears on the front cover is the title Cold As Ice in a pale blue and white font. Not only does the image aptly communicate the name of the title track but it sends a not so subtle message that this man is cool. The CD cover is the best that I have seen in years.

"When you say something is hot you want to get in the desert or have some fire behind you," Hooker says laughing. "If one listens to the lyrics (Cold As Ice) the girl was cold. If that is your title track then of course you want to put emphasis on what you are singing about. I have to represent something about the track. You know what I'm saying? This here woman was cold and deceptive," he says.

Songs such as "Four Hours Straight" focus heavily on sexual prowess but once again it becomes more of an underlying theme for a discussion about relationships. I asked Hooker if there is a risk associated with putting out songs so heavily imbued with sexual themes. He replies quickly and strongly, "Just listen to your rap music they are the ones that are raunchy. What I said you will hear on a bus you will hear in a movie theater or a café. It's the Blues I am not talking about any detailed sexual content. I am not talking about body parts. I'm singing the Blues. Four hours straight is just a boast of one's sexuality. It's as simple as that. He makes muscles about his sexuality. It's not rated x. I'm not using (curse words) because I don't curse. That's my answer."

"I Got To Be Me" is symbolic of the career path that Hooker has taken. Early in his career he was expected to follow in his famous father's footsteps. During hiatus people probably whispered about the wasted talent and since his comeback too often others have inferred the influence of his father upon his career.

"He (Hooker Sr.) was so tall in stature and cast a giant shadow. If I was out there trying to fill his shoes I would fall flat on my face. I mean this was the great John Lee Hooker. I am nowhere near him. I'm not even trying to be. I am out here being me. That is the point of this whole thing is to be me not anybody else. Like the song says, "I Got To Be Me". Blues fans everywhere should be glad he is.

Photo by Jake Blakesberg-copyright

Interview By Joe Montague-protected by copyright-All Rights Reserved

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