Orville Johnson's unique approach to the resophonic guitar is on display thruout this all instrumental tour-de-force. John Miller says in his liner notes "...Orville holds the sound of the human voice as a star, guiding his musical expression." It truly is as if he is singing through his guitar as it careens along into many styles and grooves but always retains the individuality of his own voice. A must have album certainly for any dobro enthusiasts and anyone who appreciates the sinuous sound of slide guitar.
Acoustic Guitar magazine says:
Orville Johnson places his dobro and slide guitar in musical settings where they are, as a rule, anomalies. While he does rip and whine thru bluegrass and blues numbers, his ventures into New Orleans and modern jazz, Booker T and the MG's style R&B, and various Latin-American styles give this cd its unique character. Johnson's obvious understanding of and reverence for these genres and his abilities both as a soloist and an ensemble player, not to mention his very adept and expressive playing, make Slide & Joy a treat. In addition, guitarist John Miller contributes some typically wonderful compositions and playing.
Dirty Linen says:
Orville Johnson leads a variety of ensembles through a program that moves effortlessly from old-time to R & B to jazz. He plays several instruments on the guitar-lap guitar continuum, with finesse and real originality. For this ambitious project, Johnson has gathered together very diverse musicians, who include Lounge Lizard trumpeter Steven Bernstein and such Seattle acoustic stalwarts as Mark Graham, John Reischman, and John Miller. There are fine jazz solos, a drummer who knows how to shuffle (without which the R & B tracks would be lost),and a program that includes excellent original writing by Johnson, Miller, and others. But what stands out the most are the great arrangements,in which very unlikely instrumental combinations with dobro or slide guitar in the center of things become perfectly natural musical vehicles. Highly recommended.
Brad's Page of Steel.com says:
Orville Johnson is one of the most unique voices in dobro-style playing today...Highly melodic style...CD is recommended.
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