Eric Johanson: Below Sea Level
Eric Johanson
Below Sea Level
(NOLA Blue)
Growing up as the third generation Louisiana musician certainly gives you a leg up and insight into the depth of American roots music. Guitarist singer Eric Johansson is a native of Alexandria LA who now makes his home in the Crescent City and has been making a living there as a music man since his teens. He has long been a protégé of Tab Benoit and spent time in the bands of Cyrille Neville, Terrence Simeon and Corey Henry’s Treme funk-Tet. Johanson released his debut in 2017 and recorded an acclaimed album with his cousin Tiffany Pollack in 2019. For his Nola Blue records debut, Below Sea Level, Johanson teamed up with two other Scions of Southern Rock and Blues, Luther and Cody Dickinson. Sessions at the famed Zebra Ranch Studios in the North Mississippi Hill country captured the raw energy of the music in a fresh and timeless way that Dickinson refers to as the sound of the Memphis Underground. The combination of Dickinson’s production skills with Johanson ‘s earnest song writing, embracing vocal style and and formidable guitar skills mixed with the joyous bombast of Cody’s drumming and the deft Bass playing of Terrance Grayson from the Victor Wainwright band, created a sumptuous sonic stew. These young guns we’re infants or yet to be born when guitar heroes like Johnny Winter, Pat Travers and Gary Moore ruled the FM airwaves, but somehow, they were inoculated with that big 70s Blues Rock gestalt and are bringing it back to life.
Johanson opens the set of 12 original tracks with the raucous “Buried Above Ground,’ that has Cody matching his rolling and tumbling guitar riff while he declares his New Orleans pride. A sizzling slide guitar intro pulls us into the swaggering shuffle “Down To The Bottom, “and Ray Jacildo layers in Hammond B3 behind Johanson’s smooth lead guitar and soulful vocals on the swinging power ballad “Changes The Universe.” The headbanging riff and foot stomping sing-along of “Never Tomorrow,” is a bit of Arena Rock indulgence, before we dive into the Stoner Rock deep end epic “Hammer On The Stone, “and all its Hendrix meets Black Sabbath glory. Johansson details the harsh realities of life on the street and his beloved Crescent City during the industrial tinged “Have Mercy,” and recounts the horrors of addiction on the heavy lament “River Of Oblivion,“ bearing witness to the many tragedies he has see in his young life. You somehow feel the spirit of Chuck Berry coming through on the Hill Country two beat romp “Nowhere To Go,” with its ripping lead guitar and cockeyed optimistic “Hail Hail Rock N Roll feel. He then channels Freddie King on the slinky Funk number “Open Hearted Woman “that has a groove as thick as knee deep shag carpet. The fella’s instrumental skills are on display during the jagged Led Zeppelin styled opening of “Dose Of Forget,” building into a power trio fury. Johanson delivers a treatise on our divisive world on the acoustic driven “Love Is Rebellion, “boldly making his own statement on the nature of freedom. He closes out the session by picking up his resonator guitar for a solo reading of “Riverbend Blues, “the plaintive tome paints a picture of simpler times and bitter sweet memories.
This strong sophomore release Below Sea Level from Eric Johanson, will surely cast him as a rising star in the Blues and Southern Rock scene and help ssecure his place in the next pantheon of guitar gods.
Rick J Bowen (copywright 2020)