Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Kristi Johnson is a
capable blues guitarist and a startlingly fine singer and songwriter. On her
debut album she leads a bare-bones trio (augmented by the occasional guest
musician) through a program of hardheaded blues and R&B, most of it
original. "Train" starts things off with a bang: after a slow-strutting
intro, the song transitions without warning into a quick blues shuffle, then
breaks down as Johnson takes her first solo, which alternates masterful
understatement with fleet-fingered heat. "Shake Your Sugar Tree," another
Johnson original, sounds like a cross between Tin Pan Alley and early jump
blues with a slightly nastier edge. And speaking of a nasty edge, "If I
Ain't Got" is a slow, snarling scorcher; a brazen challenge to her lover
punctuated by filthy guitar fills. Best of all is the soulful kiss-off
"Outta Love." Johnson doesn't maintain this level of quality perfectly --
her solo on "That Would Be Fine" is ponderous and sloppy -- but for a debut
album, the level of musicianship here is very impressive. She'll probably
only get better. ~ Rick Anderson
Canadian Blues.
CD from 2000 called That Would Be Fine:
Recorded at Private Ear Studios, Winnipeg, Canada. Includes liner notes by
Richard Flohil.
Kristi Johnson Band: Kristi Johnson (vocals, guitar); Nenad Zdjelar Kerza
upright & electric basses); George Demeduk (drums).
Personnel: Ken Gold (saxophone); Graham Guest (keyboards).
