Reviewed by Kent d Curry
November 27, 2006

While the Blues are considered an original American art form (with perhaps four others), most Americans today would be hard-pressed to name a contemporary giant in the field. That’s why most people have never heard of Jonny Lang, which is a shame because they’re missing so much.

The Man and His Music

Lang is a virtuoso guitar player and songwriter whose latest CD, Turn Around, has catapulted him on the concomitant nationwide tour that shouldn’t be missed. Coming out of Fargo, North Dakota, at 15 he topped the Billboard New Artist chart with his first CD, has been nominated for a Grammy, played in a movie, and toured with The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Sting.

Parallel with these accomplishments has been his journey from alcoholism to Christianity. So when his producer, Ron Fair, who is also president of A&M/Interscope Records, was finishing up the previous CD with him, Fair mentioned making a gospel CD next. Jonny agreed. In September, 2006, Turn Around opened at number 35 on the BillBoard 200 chart and topped the BillBoard Christian Album chart.

Yes, the CD is wonderful. Yes, experiencing him live is even better.

 Live in St. Louis

The Pageant on the Loop in St. Louis is a former bar made big, seating 1,300-1,500 people. The balcony overhangs a tiered wooden floor covered with padded metal chairs that are set up and removed depending on the show, with raised tables and stools dotting the perimeter. On November 16, 2006, the Pageant was packed.

The best way to sum up the energy and excitement of a Jonny Lang concert is to share the show’s start—he straps on his guitar as his backup band walks on, creates a tune with what appears to be unmoving fingers, goes to the microphone, belts out the first two lines of the first song, then rips into a 2-3 minute guitar solo. His fingers rarely stopped writhing the rest of the night.

There’s an ecstatic glee as he plays, not just a power rush of mad metal; it’s a joyful high as he riffs through an impressive variety of sounds and tempo to best complement new songs and old. You don’t have to understand the difficulties of the instrument to appreciate the mastery of the accomplishments.

Yet it’s not just the transcendent talent on display, but the obvious joy in which he performs. He once told Sara Groves, “I mistook that spiritual feeling I would have when I would perform for being god.” I believe him. The way his fingers dance across the strings, head back, unconsciously grinning skyward, body twisted in frenzied delight, is infectious and cleansing.

In St. Louis this display was honored with standing ovations throughout the nearly two-hour set.

Songs That Matter

Early on, Lang told the crowd he’d be sharing some of his new songs, and “Turn Around,” “Thankful,” “One Person at a Time,” and “Don’t Stop (for Anything)” all received star treatment. Indeed, “Turn Around” received an unexpected reprise after what appeared to be a guitar solo segue into the next song looped back into a exhilarating, “You can still, you can still, you can still turn around!”

These tunes were intermixed with some of his classics, such as “Wander This World,” “Red Light,” and “Lie to Me,” as well as a skimming of the best from his previous work.

Lang has a perfect voice for this material, it is rough, sometimes throaty, with good range, but not the mellifluous pleasure of the balladeer. Like everything else in the blues, it is the undying passion driving his lyrics that makes this music matter long after the pop star fades.

Surprise Encore

The show ends with a 10—or is it 15?—minute jam that begins with drummer Barry Alexander before rotating to bass player Jim Anton, keyboardist/organist Charles Jones, and back-up guitar (and opening act) Reeve Carney and crescendos with Jonny’s grand guitar finale. You can’t help but stand in response.

After the obligatory pause, the encore started with an acoustic number most listeners were unfamiliar with because the song was certainly not the blues but a solo affirmation to his Savior. He then swung into the haunting “Breakin’ Me” before finishing with “Lie to Me.”

Surprise Response

When Jonny unconsciously grins and riffs, his entire being screams, “This is why I was made.” When you share this experience, Believer or not, your entire being says, “This is why God made us.”

There’s not much precedent for a Christian bluesman, but when Jonny sings the blues you feel his pain yet sense that tomorrow the sun’s just gotta shine.

 

 

ninetyandnine.com

Ó 2006, Kent d Curry

---------

Kent d Curry is an executive editor of ninetyandnine.com.

(Editor’s Note: These pictures were taken from IndianapolisMusic.Net.)