Jeremiah Johnson
Blues Heart Attack
Reviewed by: Asher Wolf
If Eric Clapton were to hire a house band for his Crossroads festival Jeremiah Johnson would be the perfect candidate. For starters, the guitarist has credentials: Johnson has risen to prominence in the last few years, winning numerous blues competitions in America’s bluesiest cities (St. Louis and Houston), and his 2014 LP Grind breached the top ten on the Billboard Blues Chart. As you may have gathered, Johnson is a thoroughbred blues musician, and Blues Heart Attack is a veritable textbook on the expansive idiom. Each track ties in a different style on the country-blues spectrum, revealing the common roots beneath a diverse array of American music forms.
Though all 12 songs are originals, the first two might as well be Clapton covers. “Mind Reader” and “Room Of Fools” sport heavy Cream-like riffs blared with stadium levels of grandeur and rocking propulsion. Johnson’s vocals focus less on melody and more on the gritty lyrical hooks that prove galvanizing to the performers and listeners alike (“Yeah I’ve never been a mind reader/I ain’t startin’ with y’alls”). Similar to his songwriting, the bandleader’s guitar work is more adept and expressive than it is original. Fortunately, his spirit, tastefulness, and control over the instrument make his playing sound traditional without being clichéd. Why venture out of the box when the box is chalk full of so many tasty licks?
Starting with the gospel infused jazz shuffle “Flat Line”, the album takes a lengthy detour from classic blues-rock and applies Johnson’s gritty aesthetic to a variety of its sister styles. “Get In The Middle” sounds uncannily like a modernized Chuck Berry tune, and ”Everybody Party” swings with cheerful, up-tempo country vibes, bolstered by subtle organ work by Nathan Hershey. Johnson channels the sassy essence Buddy Guy on the patient but energized hard-hitter “Talk Too Much”. In contrast, “Summertime” is a B.B. King style soulful waltz, played at a relaxed tempo and garnished with Frank Bauer’s dirty tenor sax lines.
The latter number is probably the greatest showcase for Johnson’s potent, emotive guitar playing. With a full, punchy tone, he spits effortlessly heartfelt phrases, dense clusters of notes that dance, tumble, and slide over the song’s steady beat. These bursts seem almost conversational in comparison to the wailing bends he is prone to let loose – like he’s explaining something very important but taking his time with it. The band’s core rhythm section, Jeff Girardier on bass and Benet Schaeffer on drums, weaves a rock-solid foundation for the guitarist’s well-developed vernacular. Prioritizing feel over flash, they display commendable musicianship with mastery of a diverse repertoire.
Jeremiah Johnson doesn’t add anything particularly new to the tradition of blues et cetera, but he makes excellent use of what’s already there. The band conveys a certain reverence for the styles they so adeptly tap into. Instead of coming across as conservative or imitative, there’s an admirably balls-out spirit behind their willingness to play such well worn styles. It’s tough for a guitarist to make a fresh statement treading the same earth as giants like Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, but the Jeremiah Johnson Band succeeds, fueled by confident, flexible musicianship and a palpable adoration for the music they play.
Rating: Bad-Ass
