The phrase 'child star' engenders ambivalence in many of us, and, with good reason. Child stars often grew up to be troubled adults before the Different Strokes curse. Even Shirley Temple, the perfect child star, was molested as a young teen and endured discomfiture when her audience's affection for her as a moppet did not follow her into adulthood. Donny and Marie Osmond both acknowledge emotional problems that partly relate to their early stardom. Michael Jackson? Let's not even go there. So, it is a pleasure to observe a performer who became known young and is still doing fine past turning twenty-one. I had that pleasure observing a performance by Jonny Lang at the Safeway Water Front Blues Festival last week. When I first met Lang he was too young to drive or to go into bars unless he was performing in them.
Since then, he has recorded two albums that sold platinum and been nominated for a Grammy. Now, the boy is a man. Age, self discovery and the purchase of his label by Interscope all played roles in Lang's new, broader focus.
Jonny Lang, the guitarist who exploded onto the scene at age 15 with the bluesy 1996 CD, Lie To Me, hadn't put out a CD in five years until Long Time Coming finally arrived in stores in October.
Lang, who plays in Seattle Saturday, nearly released a CD about three years ago. But when his record company said "We don't hear a single," it sent Lang down a considerably different path as a songwriter and musician.
A collaboration with musician and songwriter Marti Frederiksen has resulted in an album that is more about Lang than the blues per se.
The new CD brings those influences fully into the forefront. Only two tracks truly fit the blues-rock mold so familiar to Lang's fans.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
very good writing, information and sense of why you like him so much - thanks MD!
2 - Mark Hasty
One of the reasons I think blues (and, to a greater extent, jazz) has disappeared somewhat from the public consciousness is that it's become so fundamentalist. There just isn't permission for artists to step outside the perimeter and try something new, especially if what you try is the least bit "pop." Instead it's all about name-checking the right influences when you're interviewed and just generally making sure nobody pushes the music past SRV's death at the very latest. I quit listening to jazz, for the most part, once I got tired of hearing about John Coltrane all the time and how nobody will ever surpass his genius. Then why is anybody still playing saxophone, if it's been done to perfection?
So I don't doubt that blues fans are not happy with Jonny Lang right now. It's their own loss, though. I like what I'm hearing from him these days.
3 - Mark Saleski
mark, i don't know that that's really true of jazz. there's tons of stuff out their that can challeng listeners in a variety of ways.
the problem of course is that the music is on a bunch of relatively obscure labels...and isn't stocked in most stores.
exampes: Thirsty Ear, HatHut, CIMP.
4 - Tom Johnson
Lang sounds more like Stevie Wonder than Stevie Ray Vaughan.
And I say to that, good! We don't need any more players copping SRV's sound. Find something new to do, people - there's a wealth of blues history to dig into and steal from. I'd much rather hear the next Muddy Waters than another SRV clone. And if Lang moves out of "true" blues to find his own voice, more power to him.
I'm going to have to check this out - I love his voice and his playing, and I'm intrigued to see him pushing himself out of the limited realm of blues.
5 - Mac Diva
Tom, the feed at the Lang website is better than most. Click on News, then the link that says 'here.' You'll get a photo of the latest CD that says 'click to open.' Do. Several of the songs from Long Time Coming will play in a loop -- entire songs.
6 - Tom Johnson
I checked it out, MD, and it does indeed sound very good. I think I actually prefer hearing him take a very heartfelt stab at soul like he is here - it's a very natural transition for him. I'm looking forward to October when it comes out.
7 - Mark Hasty
Mark: That's probably true. It's just depressing to think that Downbeat and Jazziz have become as reactionary as Rolling Stone.
Still, I guess it was inevitable, once you could get a college degree in jazz, that historicity would replace innovation as the standard by which artists are judged. There should be more to determining a person's artistry than their ability to quote from Trane's "My Favorite Things" solo.
8 - Mark Saleski
yep, ya gotta seek out publicaton such as "Cadence" or maybe email lists like the Zorn list.
(or just read my jazz reviews....;-) )