For his Nola Blue Records debut, Eric Johanson teamed up with fellow kindred spirits, North Mississippi’s Allstars’ Luther and Cody Dickinson, producer and drummer, respectively. As the backstory goes, Johanson and Luther jammed at a Jimi Hendrix tribute last spring and this time really connected despite knowing each other casually. Johanson sent Luther song demos; he loved them, and before long, Johanson was on his way to the Dickinson family’s Zebra Ranch Studios in Northern Mississippi. Luther brought in bassist Terrence Grayson (Victor Wainwright & The Train) to round out the trio. Even though Johanson’s edgy, blistering tunes were written in New Orleans, they fit in well with the whole North Mississippi vibe to feel like a long-lost root of it.
For guitar heads, these amped-up, tube-blowing tunes are a veritable six-string feast. Johanson doesn’t lack for styles and riffs, alternating between slide sizzlers, bombastic boogies, slow soulful grinders, sludgy textures, and four-on-the-floor rockers. While his solos are often extended, they’re never overplayed but are developed methodically and artfully.
Though Johanson’s guitar work is unarguably top-notch, it’s the lyrics where the tunes really come together. They seem straightforward enough until he drops a zinger of a line, such as on the delta-flavored “Riverbend Blues.” The protagonist reflects on the night’s ambiance before closing with ‘I asked the city of New Orleans if she would take me back,’ a mysterious atonement of sorts.
While a current of love trickles throughout, dark moods of chaos and unrest also prevail. On “Buried Above Ground,” Johanson describes a ferocious storm roaring in before dropping the chorus zapper ‘Don’t try to tell me about the devil / Man, I live below sea level,’ a line that’s worth the price of admission alone. The thunderously-clacking “Have Mercy” feels apocalyptic musically with ghoulish imagery. Yet, it is New Orleans life in the pre-pandemic era.
Though every song is powerful in its own right, the anthemic rocker “Love is Rebellion” is a hard message to beat. Paraphrased, love and empathy are a form of rebellion against a callous society.
For those who still have most of their hearing left, this one’s meant to be cranked up. Yet, no matter what the volume level is, every word is clearly audible and understandable. Next time out, Johanson better be skilled at pole vaulting to hurdle over the high bar he’s set for himself. A crowning achievement.
