tanta08's Full Review: Live at the Rynborn by Luther "Guitar Junior" John...
Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson is probably not a well-known name outside of the blues genre. Johnson served in Muddy Waters' backing band in the 1970s before striking out on his own. He has spent the last few decades honing a distinctive form of West Side Chicago blues, with dashes of funk, soul and R&B. He has put out a steady stream of very good blues albums over the years, with Live at the Rynborn having the distinction of being his only live release. Recorded at the Rynborn Hotel in New England in 1995, Johnson and his band (which consists of drums, bass, guitar, piano and saxophone) put on a clinic of what a live blues show should be. It's tight, energetic, funky and fun. Johnson also lays down some of the hottest guitar he's ever committed to record.
The band doesn't waste any time, laying into the up-tempo shuffle, "I Don't Know Why." The sound is immediately fleshed-out by the keyboards and saxophone. This isn't a terrifically big band, but they sure sound that way; every inch of sonic space is taken up by this band, hitting you like a hammer. For a live recording, especially one that was apparently put together on a shoe-string budget, Live at the Rynborn sounds fantastic. Every instrument comes through the mix clear as a bell, and Johnson's vocals are front and center. This is a live album that's actually a treat to listen to. Things keep rolling with Jimmy Reed's "You Don't Have to Go." The band stomps through the shuffle like they're trying to pound it into the floor, and Johnson's guitar blasts through the mix in all its string-snapping glory. For an artist with as many original songs as Luther Johnson, Live at the Rynborn features a surprising amount of covers. Of the eleven songs found here, only three are Johnson originals. That being said, Johnson shows a knack for picking cover songs. He wisely sticks to covers that aren't overplayed (with the exception of maybe "Five Long Years"), and he tweaks them just ever so much to put his own West Side stamp on them. Where Reed's original "You Don't Have to Go" plodded, Johnson's swings.
Next, the band gets deep in alley with B.B. King's "What You've Been Putting Down." The saxophone player gets a chance to stretch out for a solo on this one, and to great effect. Then Johnson rasps "Let me hear some keyboards," and we're treated to a tasty keyboard run while Johnson lays down some subtle guitar licks in the background. Things are up and running again with the swinging "It's My Life Baby." If you don't get some sort of body part bobbing or tapping with this tune, then you may actually be in a coma and not know it yet. On the show, grinding tunes such as "Love My Baby" and "Five Long Years," Johnson really struts his stuff. His ample guitar chops are on full display when the band falls back in the slow groove. He nearly sets fire to the speakers as he tears into these slow burning tunes. Johnson's guitar style is a lesson in tone and taste over flash. He would rather wrench every last drop of emotion about of a handful of notes than beat your ears into submission with lengthy guitar histrionics.
The atmosphere of Live at the Rynborn sounds like a good time was had by all. The crowd hoots and hollers as the band really gets cooking. They even get a chance to sing background vocals for the final tune on the album, “Rynborn Boogie.” They whistle and shout in appreciation as the band digs into another slow groove. One thing this album does very successfully is that it adequately portrays the chemistry going on between Luther Johnson and his audience. You can hear the give and take as Johnson responds to their energy, and they respond to his performance.
The only gripe out this album, and it is a fairly big one, is with the terrible editing job done on it. This is a live album, and at least in my opinion, a live album should give you the feeling of sitting front row for a terrific performance. The songs on Live at the Rynborn, however, are so ineptly put together that the only thing that would let you know this is a live album is the crowd noise. Each song will start to fade out, the crowd will applaud, and then literally, the next song will start fading in, before the last song has ended. I can't tell you how grating this can get by the end of the CD. The most egregious example is "C as in Chester," which abruptly starts before "Hello Josephine" has even finished. This definitely mentally takes you out of the illusion that you're sitting an listening to a live performance as it happened; you're instead left with the feeling of listening to bits a pieces of a live show, spliced together in a studio like some sort of audio Frankenstein's monster.
Live at the Rynborn is my favorite release from Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, and it would easily get a 5-star review from me if it weren't for the terrible editing job that detracts from the listening experience. This is a fantastic album for cranking up loud when you have a few friends over, and the adult beverages are flowing freely. If you're fan of Chicago blues, or the West Side variations of Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Jimmy Dawkins, I think you'll find a lot to like about this release.
Track listing
1. I Don't Know Why
2. You Don't Have to Go
3. What You've Been Putting Down
4. It's My Life Baby
5. Stealing Chickens
6. Love My Baby
7. Five Long Years
8. Hello Josephine
9. C as in Chester
10. If Blues Were Whiskey
11. Rynborn Boogie
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