LUTHER JOHNSON

A pioneer of the Chicago blues style of guitar playing, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson cut his teeth with the Magic Sam band during the mid sixties. During the seventies he fully came into his own as the lead guitarist in the Muddy Waters Band. His solo career is flourishing these days with this, his third release on the prestigious Telarc blues label.

With "Talkin’ About Soul," Johnson combines soul and funk with his own distinctive sound. However, despite this CD’s title, this record leans much more towards hard blues. There’s a large supporting cast of musicians assisting Johnson here. Back with him is bassist Randy Lippincott and rhythm guitarist Brian Bisesi. Also playing a prominent role is the popular Jerry Portnoy on harmonica and the equally popular David Maxwell on piano and organ. Many of the tracks have a horn section as well.

Johnson pays homage to some of his musical heroes by covering songs by Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. When talking about soul music it’s not a stretch to say that Sam Cooke and especially Ray Charles invented the genre. Johnson also covers the Isley Brothers tune "It’s Your Thing" in a very funky version that sounds nothing like the original.

One of the two standout original tracks include "Ramblin’Blues" which is the only acoustic song on the disc. Done in the great tradition of the Mississippi Delta style, this tune is just Luther on acoustic guitar accompanied by Jerry Portnoy on harmonica. It is a beautiful song. A completely different kind of song is "Suffer So Hard With The Blues." Johnson has his electric guitar cranked up full blast on this number. What’s interesting is that he sounds just like Buddy Guy. (This is not necessarily a bad thing!)

Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson ranks with the great blues musicians of our time. His previous Telarc releases, "Slammin’ On The West Side" and "Got To Find A Way," are as good as good as any blues records to be found over the past five years proving that Johnson is as vital as ever. This recording should appeal to you down and dirty, hard-core blues fans.

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