leveland bassist Doug Johns is an absolute monster at his craft. With a foot stompin' combination of funk, jazz, R&B and fusion styles, Johns has taken the prototypical funk genre to levels beyond expectation - both with a queue of recent live dates and with his self-titled release as well. Sporting shades of everything from Tower of Power and George Duke, to the Brecker Brothers, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, and Bootsy Collins, Johns' 17 expertly conceived cuts are as masterful as they are a delight to listen to.
Johns is a true virtuoso, with a flashy technique of "circular phrasings" and buoyant rolling and slapping is at once overly caffeinated, fluid and chock full of overt sexual swagger. Flashy horn arrangements, Hammond B-3 organ and syncopated drumming back up Johns' diverse tuneful oeuvre. And if the set opener "Pimpasaurus Rex" doesn't instantly win you over - inspiring head bopping, that blissful overbite, etc. - then you've probably assumed room temperature. Johns, drummer Chris Ceja and Buddy Miles' B-3 player Mark Leach all contribute to the party vibes with focused instrumental prowess.
Other notable songs on the disc include "Gig Shirt," a duet with Bela Fleck bassist Victor Wooten (on a maniacal "The Claw"), "Frog On My Face" and an inspired reading of Led Zeppelin's classic, "Stairway To Heaven." Only the wistful "Indian Summer" changes the tone of the disc, the lone ballad on an otherwise fanciful disc. Not just for guitar wanks (although they're sure to thrill by it as well) Doug Johns is an outstanding outing from beginning to end. He and the flamboyant Chris "Freekbass" Sherman (of Cincinnati) are arguably the best funk bassists in the entire state, if not all of the Midwest.
The last time this reviewer was truly awed by a bass player, Stuart Hamm sat about 20 feet in front of him and performed the harmony and melody lines of Vince Guaraldi's "Linus & Lucy" simultaneously, without a third hand or backing band. Johns put that experience out of my head almost entirely. Check this mad hatter out!
leveland bassist Doug Johns is an absolute monster at his craft. With a foot stompin' combination of funk, jazz, R&B and fusion styles, Johns has taken the prototypical funk genre to levels beyond expectation - both with a queue of recent live dates and with his self-titled release as well. Sporting shades of everything from Tower of Power and George Duke, to the Brecker Brothers, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorius, and Bootsy Collins, Johns' 17 expertly conceived cuts are as masterful as they are a delight to listen to.