I got Bill Johnson's CD "Still Blue" last week - and boy do I love it! I didn't want this CD to finish - but when it did I went back to the beginning and started listening all over again! Great songs, great voice, and I love Bill's guitar playing.
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Bill Johnson, the name might not say much to you at this time, but we hope with “Still Blue” this will change soon. The man started as a 9 year old playing the guitar and according to his own saying was in the beginning mainly influenced by Chuck Berry, the Stones and Eric Clapton. Later on he studied the styles of  BB King and Elmore James among others. In 2006 he was nominated for the Maple Blues Award "Best Guitarist" for his cd simply titled “Live”. Not taking a break he continued working on another surprising authentic Country-blues style album called “Worksongs”.
With this cd "Still Blue" he's opened doors to the European Blues fans/lovers. Eight self written or co-written songs and four excellent covers together made an album which grabs your attention from the beginning until the end.
 
Our End-year chart list was already in when we wrote this review, otherwise sympathetically this Canadian would have been part of it.
 
The covers of  Walker’s “T-Bone Blues” and Willie Dixon’s “300 Pounds Of Heavenly Joy”, are excellent examples of a perfectly done job. These two and Bill Johnson’s own songs are of the same high quality level.
We could not help but pick out one song. The phenomenal “Half The Man”, with brilliant guitar work, is a real candidate for blues song of the year. Sometimes it makes me think of Al Stone, and then again Chris Rea. The magnificent soulful singing, a two and a half minute guitar solo that even would have Eric Clapton applauding, completes it really as a world class song.
 
But nevertheless, it seems wrong to pick just one out. It doesn’t do justice to other songs like “Experience” in which you hear a screaming slide, or “Worked To Death”, a great  Chicago-Blues-song.
We would say listen to the entire album, and find that together with Rick Erickson (bass and vocals), John Hunter (drums and vocals), and Darcy Philips (keyboards and vocals), Bill Johnson  has made a fantastic release that we highly recommend.
 
Originally written in Dutch and translated by Robbert Smits
Rootstime is located in Belgium.
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Bill Johnson contributes eight originals to his Still Blue, each one a fine example of a contemporary blues song, not merely a retread of a familiar 12 bar theme, and each sung in his evocative voice. The variety of approaches, from the sneaky slide on “Another One” to the crisp lead guitar midway between Cray and Knopfler on “Habitual Survivor” is invigorating. Very hip phrases and a hard-luck lyric make the minor-key “Half The Man” stand out. Johnson shows he can reliably deliver straight blues on his shuffle “Old Les Paul Guitar” and three well-chosen covers from Slim Harpo, T-Bone Walker, and Howlin’ Wolf. Lee Roy Parnell’s roadhouse rocker “Red Hot” rounds out the set. A gem of an album!
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"Still Blue" is an album that had no problem captivating me from the opening Guitar Riff of the first Track and once Bill Johnson's singing kicked in, well to say the least, I was hooked and more then happy to be along for the ride. With hooks and harmonies so addictive. I was very happy this release wasn't on Vinyl, because for sure I would of been wearing out many a record needle the amount of times I would of been playing this one. For sure, Bill Johnson has his own unique style of Blues, which he has managed to blend perfectly from the masters he has learned so well from, by studying their music. This special style comes through loud and clear, be it his lyrics, his music, or his vocals. From the opening and fun to listen Track "Fishing with Your Boots", to the spellbinding "Half the Man" to the closing Track "Remote Control Man", a piano laden smoky bar room gem, Bill Johnson manages to take us on one hell of a great Bluesy Ride. 

I have no problem giving "Still Blue", my highest rating of 5*****. It is an Album that I not only thoroughly enjoyed, but one that I also highly recommend for any lover of really good blues.
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