Little Johnny Kantreed
Acoustic Alley Blues
© 2005 ANJ Records - Little Johnny Kantreed (634479114205)
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NOMINATED FOR THE MCBS BLUESEY AWARD FOR 2005 BLUES CD OF THE YEAR
Downhome acoustic folk blues. Little Johnny was born and raised in the Nashville, TN area. In the late '70's, solo artists were a dime a dozen in Nashville. So Little Johnny packed up his powder blue Vega and moved to the Daytona Beach area of Florida, playing happy hours and opening for beach bands. Deciding that a steady paycheck would be a good way of life, he entered the radio scene and DJ'd morning drive times in Greenville, KY and Winchester, VA. Realizing that he liked Tennessee better than the nomadic life of radio, he landed back in Nashville.
Back in his hometown, he hooked up with a couple of bands, playing drums for The Colour Flag and Horse Of A Different Color. But it was the blues that was in him. Since that time, playing at The Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival (formerly the King Biscuit Festival), The Ground Zero Blues Club and the annual Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, MS, along with King's Palace on Beale Street in Memphis, The Slippery Noodle Inn in Indianapolis and the Blues Stage at The Beanblossom Blues Festival in Beanblossom, IN, and sharing the stage with Americana artists Annie Mosher and Cheley Tackett, blues artists Blue Mother Tupelo, Jimbo Mathus, Wichita's Moreland & Arbuckle, Patio Daddio of Delicious Blues Stew, Indianapolis based The D-Moans, The Blues Attic Ramblers and "The Southpaw from Arkansas", guitarist Michael Holloway, Little Johnny is quickly making a name for himself in the Southeast blues scene.
Acoustic Alley Blues, the follow-up CD to Little Johnny's debut release, Front Porch Blues, is a blend of downhome acoustic folk and blues. Recorded at Little Hollywood Studio in Nashville, Tennessee and produced by Danny Lee Ramsey, Acoustic Alley Blues features not only Little Johnny's originals, but also taps in to the songwriting skills of favorites Lloyd Thayer and Lisa Bastoni, and also includes some standard classic blues numbers. This solo effort also features additional vocals of the incredible Micol Davis of Blue Mother Tupelo fame on two tracks. With a mixture of the likes of down and dirty chicken-grease blues (Yonder Come The Blues) to the bluegrass-folk tinged If I Had My Way, there seems to be something for all tastes of American roots music.
All in all, we think you'll enjoy this downhome acoustic folk blues artist.
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Good CD
author: BillyThis is a good cd. I think you would like it.
He knows the history, and he can belt them out with the best.
author: Indie-Music.comWith the very first track, out of the body of this skinny white man comes a grizzled, raspy black man’s voice. “Yonder Comes the Blues” is a slurring, staggering, authentic and whiskey-fueled ode to bad luck with deliberately sloppy chord changes and plenty of heart and soul. Little Johnny Kantreed doesn’t just sing the blues – he’s grown up with the sound, he knows the history, and he can belt them out with the best. These songs paint dark watercolors and put me right into the frame. Old houses with decaying front porches. Walking barefoot on torn-up streets, drinking homemade red wine, seeking fame and fortune. Bad women and even worse decisions. But Kantreed knows that the purpose of the blues isn’t to wallow in misery. He delivers many of these songs with a sly, wicked grin, including my personal favorite, “Relatives.” He claims to be kin to a woman who spends her day smoking in bed and listening to the police scanner, a cousin who had a shotgun wedding to a carnie and was divorced by age fifteen, and a grandpa with a belt buckle as big as a serving tray. He sings that the scary thing for him is that all these people know where he lives. The scary thing for me is that I believe him. A special tip of the battered pageboy cap goes to Micol Davis, who adds her lovely vocals to two of these tracks. She has a Dolly Parton quality that melts perfectly into this sound. “I had the blues so bad one time, it put my face in a permanent frown,” Kantreed sings at one point. Maybe. But there’s too much spirited mischief in these songs to make me believe that he’s really down for the count.
...wonderfully entertaining
author: Natalie Carter - Kentuckiana Blues Society BluesNewsI've been a fan of Johnny's since I heard "Front Porch Blues", so "Acoustic Alley Blues" is a real treat for me. Besides the captivating guitar work, which has soothed many a working hour for me this summer, the lyrics in this set are wonderfully entertaining. After I checked to make sure we weren't really cousins ("Relatives"), I slipped into a daydream during "Flat World", courtesy of Micol Davis' beautiful vocal harmony. And "You Could Do A Lot Worse"...well, you know who you are. And I hope you do. I love acoustic guitar and clever lyrics, and I'm tempted to quote from every song, but instead I'll just say that this is a great CD and you really ought to check it out. I've heard it's a little John Prine, I thought maybe a little Arlo Guthrie, but it's definitely all Johnny, and when Johnny's a-pickin', I'm a grinnin'!
One of my favorites this year!!
author: JeannieWhat else can I say? This cd is one of my favorites this year. I can't wait to hear more!
A definite thumbs up!
author: Gary W. Miller - BluesSource.comA guy with a guitar and a dream CAN make it happen! Write some great songs and just be yourself. Players in Americana, Blues and Folk might do what Little Johnny Kantreed has done. Give this CD a listen and you will be pleasantly surprised that a hardworker can do this business, produce his own indie CD and make a difference. Lots of great lyrics and a real love for the genre, Little Johnny may not "reed", but he sure can play. He's played in the Delta and played all over the place, here with Micol Davis from Blue Mother Tupelo helping out. A definite thumbs up!
...another finely-crafted set from one of MCBS' great talents
author: Sheryl & Don Crow - Music City Blues Society "Bluesletter"Anyone who was at the MCBS Christmas party back in December 2004 at the Boardwalk Cafe might recall that Little Johnny Kantreed played an acoustic set early that evening. We didn't know it at the time, but Little Johnny previewed several songs that night from his new CD, "Acoustic Alley Blues". It is indeed a fine set of acoustic blues, just perfect for a summer's eve listen on your front porch! Johnny's been a friend of ours for a number of years. Born and raised in the Nashville area, he spent some time as a DJ and in various bands before heeding the call of the blues. This set finds Johnny mainly using a Regal squareneck dobro or a Regal steel body resonator for thirteen cuts of prime blues, several with a sly touch of humor! He strums a banjo on two cuts, "Bird By Bird" and the hilarious self-penned "Nashville Blues", which could serve as the biography of many a Music City bluesman and the slings and arrows they suffer to play the blues! Also, Micol Davis of Blue Mother Tupelo guests on two cuts, a Carter Family-like "Flat World", and the poignant tale of a love not meant to be, "If I Had My Way". We had several favorites, too. We've always liked Johnny's version of "Stagger Lee", which is much closer to the way the song was written, as opposed to the more popular recorded versions that exist. Johnny gives a low-down woman her walkin' papers with another of his own compositions, "When You Leave Me". The guitar here is superb, with Johnny running down the Elmore James-ish riffs. And, he tells another misleading lover that, after she decides to leave, that she "could do a lot worse" than him! Hands-down, tho, we enjoyed Johnny's take on "Relatives", who, unfortunately, "know where ya live"! This one is a real hoot, and Johnny's vocal delivery here is reminiscent of "Dear Abby"-era John Prine. This is another finely-crafted set from one of MCBS' great talents, Little Johnny Kantreed. Get you a cold one, get in the hammock, and turn on "Acoustic Alley Blues" and....ENJOY!
Blues for the soul
author: MasonIf you like good, acoustic blues, this cd is for you. The bluesy blues songs are good, and even the folksy songs sound good. The banjo blues in Nashville Blues works well, and even the mandolin part in Old Shoes fits well. But, my favorite is the slide guitar in When You Leave Me. It took me back to my home in Mississippi!!
Nice work Little Johnny!
author: Shan de Bayou - Nashville Music GuideAcoustic Alley Blues is a huge step up for Little Johnny, with understated sincerity in his vocal, guitar and harmonica work. Also, I love the beautiful way he uses Micol Davis (of Blue Mother Tupelo) to sing plaintive harmonies on a couple of cuts.
...make you smile, and take you home.
author: Bill Thames - Shake MagazineLittle Johnny Kantreed has been around the musical block, and his new CD, "Acoustic Alley Blues", brilliantly confirms his musical journey. Little Johnny's new CD demonstrates a natural, diamond-in-the-rough, retro style that is so very refreshing in this time of overly dubbed, overly polished recordings. "Acoustic Alley Blues" is a back porch, rocking-chair masterpiece that brings to mind a lazy Sunday afternoon catfish fry, complete with hound dogs looking for a little piece of table scrap heaven. Almost totally acoustic and untainted by filler of any kind, this CD is down-home acoustic folk blues at its rough-sawn best. Recorded and produced at Little Hollywood Studio by Nashville blues legend Danny Lee Ramsey, "Acoustic Alley Blues" will make you smile, then take you home.