Eclectic Reviewed by Riveting Riffs Magazine

Eric Johnson and Mike Stern Are Eclectic -- Album Review

Eclectic is one of the more aptly titled albums out there today as it combines the guitar wizardry of two of music’s best, Eric Johnson and Mike Stern, the former known more for his presence in the Rock world and latter known for his Jazz career. When you take a Grammy Award winner (Johnson) who has also been nominated for several more Grammy Awards and you combine him with multiple Grammy Awards nominee Stern, you expect lots of sizzle and that is exactly what the listener experiences right from the opening track “Roll With It,” a funky Blues Rock marathon written by Stern and which features some scintillating guitar solos. Malford Milligan delivers an incredible vocal performance.

The second song “Remember,” gives the musical scales a workout and as the two guitar aficionados take the listener on an adventure that seems quite innocent enough in the beginning with a very airy section, featuring lots of cymbals and backed by bassist Chris Maresh who tours with Johnson, as well as drummer Anton Fig (the Paul Shaffer band on Late Night With Letterman). There is a lot to listen for in this song, but with it being 6:26 in length you never are left with the impression that it is too busy. There is still lots of room for the musicians to shine.

Eric Johnson’s “Benny Man Blues,” is a quick temp song that might be described as Benny Goodman meets Brian Setzer. The next song is the exquisite “Wishing Well,” on which Grammy Award winning songwriter Christopher Cross lends his vocals for the bridge, while Stern’s voice is heard on the verses. There is lots of percussion on this song courtesy of James Fenner and Fig’s snare drum is ever present. The order in which this song appears on Eclectic provides a good change of pace, as the mood is gentler and more relaxing.

One of the most interesting songs on the album is the fifth track “Bigfoot,” which opens prettily, as Leni Stern, Mike Stern’s wife introducing the song playing the n’goni a West African stringed instrument that some have suggested was the predecessor to the modern day banjo. It is also Leni Stern’s vocals that we here at the beginning of the song. The song is mystical, enchanting and other worldly, with special effects and the guitars enhancing that feel. We can hear this song showing up on several movie and television soundtracks.

The collaboration between Stern and Johnson evolved over five years, beginning in 2009, when Johnson guested on two of Stern’s songs from his Grammy Award nominated Big Neighborhood album. The two reunited for two nights at Regattabar in Boston, before playing a week long gig at New York City’s Blue Note in August of 2013.

Eric Johnson’s “Hullabaloo,” continues the sparkling guitar playing, this time complimented by a fine horn section consisting of saxophonist John Mills, trombonist Mike Mordecai and trumpeter Andrew Johnson. Because of the length, 3:11 and the quick tempo this is the song that will likely enjoy the most radio play on the non-hardcore Jazz radio stations.

The respect the two musicians have for each other is evident both in their words and the space that is given on this record so they can equally share the spotlight.

Stern says remarks about Johnson, “Everything he plays is really cool and beautiful. It’s just very much Eric Johnson. He’s got his own style and it’s amazing! And more than that, he’s just a very soulful cat. He plays with a lot of heart and soul. And I love that!”

In turn, Johnson comments, ““I was mentioning to Mike when we did this recording that it was one of my favorite double guitar situations that I’ve ever done, because a lot of times you do two guitar things and it’s hard for it to fit together in a very musical, cohesive way. It can get kind of busy, when you cover each other up. But through dynamics and listening to each other and thinking about the way we voice chords and support each other, I think this collaboration lent itself to being more in a musical kind of way, which has been a real nice experience for me.”

The album closes with the Bluesy “Red House,” a Jimi Hendrix song, featuring the vocals of both Eric Johnson and Mike Stern with Guy Forsyth accompanying them on harmonica.

Eclectic by Eric Johnson and Mike Stern is not just for fans of the guitar, this is a superbly produced, played and arranged album that should find its way into the collections of any true lover of great music. Eclectic was released on October 27, 2014 through the Concord Music Group.

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