Johnny A.: Get Inside

If you love guitar, you’ll love Johnny A. It’s really that simple. The man takes six strings and turns them loose in ways that transcend musical genre, challenging himself to take on different styles in making his Gibson sing. Though primarily a blues guitarist, his love of music outside that realm is made obvious in this current collection. His debut CD, Sometime Tuesday Morning, was first sold out of the trunk of his car after concerts (back in 1999). That CD developed a groundswell of support and became a success when re-issued on Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label in 2001.

Now, after years of touring, Johnny A. has returned to the studio at long last. So how do you follow up a phenomenal guitar record? For one thing, you keep doing the things you do well. Like the first record, Get Inside is instrumental, showcasing Johnny’s virtuoso performances on both original and cover tunes. Secondly, you assemble a superbly tight and talented band to accompany you.

Johnny has done that with Ken Clark on Hammond B3, Henley Douglas Jr. on saxophone, Rick O’Neal on electric bass, Garret Savluk on trumpet, and Ron Stewart on drums and percussion. These musicians all are excellent, and while they defer to Johnny A.’s guitar performances here, they still shine.

What Johnny does well on this sophomore release is cover a wide swath of music. Unlike other blues guitar “snobs”, he’s unafraid to venture outside that world into other guitar ghettos — jazz, rockabilly, fusion, big band, world beat, rock, western swing, and more. Johnny’s love of the instrument goes beyond stylistic limitations, and his seemingly effortless command of the guitar inspires envy and admiration.

Opening with the spicy Latin rhythm flavors of “Hip Bone”, Johnny seems comfortable enough playing along to the percussion (in a very Santana way), then explodes into a fantastic blues leads in the middle bridge, before returning to the song. Johnny shows a real feel for the music (it’s not about speed, so much as expression) and makes his guitar an emotive narrator.

The jaunty upbeat chorus of “I Had to Laugh” has a jazzy full band swing to it, complete with horns. It’s a fun sort of road tune (think of the SNL band in its heyday) and again the highlight is always what Johnny’s guitar does, unpredictable in his flashy leads and changes. This is more than good music, it’s also great fun.

One Johnny covers another in Johnny Rivers’ ballad “Poor Side of Town” (co-written with Lou Adler). This 1966 hit is recreated faithfully, with clean tones of guitar taking on each nuance. Johnny A.’s generous spacing between guitar lines allows the song great emotional shadings.

“Sing Singin'” is a straight ahead jazz-blues shuffle, in which the guitar sings generously and impressively, both in chords and in notes. The title track takes a sweet blues progression groove and lets that hollow-bodied electric guitar take over with a host of different tones and lead lines (the song goes over the six-minute mark, and to its credit, never seems lengthy or over-extended).

“Bundle of Joy” sounds like something from the Chet Atkins canon, a three-plus minute bundle of pure country-picking joy indeed. It’s amazing to me just how well Johnny A. covers this particular style of music, exhibiting humor, flair, dexterity, and grace.

The moody “Krea Gata” takes us into a deeper jazz realm, hushed gentle tones on a dark night. This song builds slowly but ignites into a maelstrom of furious blues in a solo that will leave the listener agape, before returning back to the tender and mysterious blackness of night. This is a mini-masterpiece of mood, and recalls the style of Wes Montgomery.

When Johnny A. takes on a cover, he’s not afraid to go after a sacred cow. Such is the case with the Jimi Hendrix’ favorite “The Wind Cries Mary”. Not only does Johnny A. take on that sacred cow, he slices it up and serves delicious steak to his listeners. He deconstructs it with upbeat, jazzy rhythm and chords, but shows about a minute or so into the song that he can handle the Hendrix riffs with aplomb. Then we get a wonderful sort of Miles Davis funk trumpet take on the song (courtesy of Garret Savluk), before returning to the recognizable Hendrix verse structures. Believe it or not, it works and works well — and you know that Hendrix himself would likely be honored by this unusual version.

Johnny A. goes romping in rockabilly territory with “Ignorance Is Bliss”, a high-energy romp rich in bends and fluid chords. Fans of Dave Edmunds and Scotty Moore and other great rockabilly guitarists will love this one.

“Sway a Little” is another exotic rhythmic offering, a sweet mid-tempo melody that calls to mind visions of a romantic interlude, slow dancing at some sultry after-hours clubs. Being a word-man, I’m prone to wonder what words might fit this melody (I’m guessing it would be something about love, guaranteed).

From out of an explosion of sounds, the song “Stimulation” is born. It comes at you fast and furious, sporting a world beat and entirely rhythm-driven. Johnny A. mixes styles in this one (including some jazz fusion) and spins lovely guitar lines out of a catchy melody.

The CD closes with the haunting “Another Life”. Out of backward guitar tones that hover in the background comes a dreamy dulcet melody as mellifluous and fluid as light rain, but refreshing as a breeze on a hot summer’s day. This is soothing music, clean astral tones that relax.

Johnny A. has done it again. His clean production (those guitar tones are wonderful, and each note stands out) and fine accompanying band assure a fine listening experience overall. Get Inside is a shining example of how the guitar can sing with emotions and give voice to a range of complex moods.

If you enjoy the instrument beyond any single musical style, then Johnny A. is your man. His talents are driven by quality — and as such, he delivers yet another fine collection for discerning listeners.