Annual Chicago Blues Fest Blues Brunch -- June 14  live show w/ Mississippi Heat, Dave Specter, Rockin' Johnny, Tail Dragger & the Delmark All-Stars,10 a.m.- Noon FREE at Jazz Record Mart

ROCKIN’ JOHNNY BURGIN

Greetings From Greaseland

West Tone Records

By Mark Baier

Rockin’ Johnny has a new CD out on West Tone Records called Greetings From Greaseland, making it perhaps the most appropriate title to ever grace a blues CD. Frankly, there isn’t another artist that can dish out the high calorie, succulent greasy blues like Johnny. His is a blues so greasy that it’s greezy. So greezy that it glistens in the dark. It’s grease that you can smell three blocks away and remember for days afterword. That the recording studio where Greetings From Greaseland was recorded happens to be named “Greaseland” is tangental to Johnny’s oleaginous blues. Kid Andersen may have opened the doors to Greaseland studios, booked the West Coast’s finest accompanists, and turned on the recording machines, but make no mistake, the juicy, mouthwatering flavor is all courtesy of Chicago’s Rockin’ Johnny.

Greetings from Greaseland kicks off with a guitar lick so oily that you could use it to lube the leaf springs on a ’53 Cadillac. Joe Bonamassa could woodshed for weeks and never get it right. But it’s doubtful that J.B. spent too much time on the West Side of Chicago, hanging out at the 5105 club either, so give him a pass. Thankfully Rockin’ Johnny did, and “Love Me Like I Want It” is testament to his West Side roots. Backed by a crew of the West Coast’s finest and most accomplished sidemen, Johnny runs through an hour of nutritious blues, both originals and fresh takes on classics, that makes this his most satisfying recording to date.

 With marquee sidemen like Aki Kumar on harmonica and Kid Andersen on organ and guitar, teamed with seasoned vets like Vance Ehlers on bass and June Core on drums, Johnny has free reign to mix his sneaky guitar and expressive vocals against a rock solid pocket. Surprisingly, GFG was recorded at a single live session in early December 2014. Even the vocals were tracked on the spot, a testament to Kid Andersen’s prodigious talent both as a sideman and a producer in capturing the performances so beautifully. Understandably, GFG plays out like a great set of live blues, as authentic as it will ever get.

 “Love Me Like I Want It,” “Cold Chills” and “She’s A Hit” are familiar and powerful examples of Johnny’s captivating style. Never one to shy away from pure instrumental selections, Johnny includes a rendition of “House of The Rising Sun” that showcases his dynamic and vocal guitar delivery. “Empty Bed Blues” with its slow slippery beat, allows Johnny to dig in with some juicy Earl Hooker inspired guitar work. He’s one of only a handful of players that can dish out Hooker’s trick bag without sounding like a mimic.

 Aki Kumar may be a new name to some, but the past couple years he’s emerged as one of the hottest commodities in modern blues harp. His playing is sublime on every track, with Johnny’s original instrumental “Havana Rock” giving him the space to really stretch out; it’s a power house groove that’s slathered in West Side sauce, Delta Fish Market and New Zodiac Lounge style. Also included on GFG is a rendition of Otis Rush’s “Homework”, notable for Johnny’s NOT playing the solo break note-for-note like Otis’s original! It’s a song that always feels energetic and fresh, especially with Johnny & Co. tearing it up. Jimmy Reed’s ”Tell The World I Do” provides the coda for GFG, and it’s hard to imagine a greasier, oilier, more lubricated track than this one, making it an ideal send off for GFG. If you’re going to play some deep fried Chicago blues, better not forget the Jimmy Reed!

In addition to its captivating, cholesterol laden performances, GFG is a terrific sounding recording. Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios, in the San Francisco Bay Area, captured the intimacy and immediacy of a live performance while maintaining the sonic quality of a fine studio session. Greaseland Studios deserves a standing ovation for representing this material so well. It’s doubtful that it was recorded to magnetic tape, but it sure sounds like it!

Rockin’ Johnny Burgin and Kid Andersen have created a terrific CD that combines the finest blues from Chicago's West Side with the West Coast’s most accommodating and comfortable recording studio. The result will delight longtime fans and convert the rest! Put Greetings From Greaseland on the stereo and have a greezy ball; it’s finger lickin’ good!

For info, visit: http://www.rockinjohnnyband.com/

To buy the CD: cdbaby or Jazz Record Mart, 27 E. Illinois, Chicago

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