Eric Johnson - Up Close - Another Look in April

Submitted by newseditor on Tue, 02/05/2013 - 15:26

Provogue Records (a division of Mascot Label Group) is pleased to announce the UK release of Eric Johnson’s special edition album "Up Close - Another Look" on Monday 1st April. The album coincides with Johnson’s nationwide UK tour which starts at London’s Shepherd Bush Empire on Wednesday 3rd April (tour dates listed below).

Guitarist, songwriter and singer Eric Johnson brings listeners up close to his stunning musicality when the Grammy winning artist releases a custom European version of his sixth studio album. The 13-track affair presents 12 new Johnson compositions, plus his version of the Electric Flag song "Texas".

Praised by All Music Guide as one of the "very few musical artists [to] achieve a true signature style which makes comparisons to other musicians impossible", Johnson expands, deepens and enhances his sound on his first album release since "Bloom" in 2005.

The title reflects the revelatory and spontaneous performances on "Up Close - Another Look" as well as its sonic immediacy, thanks to Johnson's second look and revisions on six songs plus mixes on the seven others by legendary veteran engineers Richard Mullen and Andy Johns.

"I decided to let go a bit and allow things to happen and just go with the flow", explains Johnson of his approach to the album. "I like my work to have a high proficiency, but I also wanted to go for the energy and magic of the performances".

The many live shows he's performed in various configurations since the album came out in America in 2010 and the songs he's already recorded for his next album prompted Johnson to replay some tracks and revise and remix them to make what the Austin Chronicle praises as a disc that "brings out the best in him" even better.

"The whole premise of this new record I've started making is to perform with more of a live feel in the studio", he explains. "So when I got this European deal, I listened to the "Up Close" record and heard a few ways I could do that with this album". After refining his technique and tone to masterful levels over the course his recording and performing career, "I've found that the music happens more naturally live and that's what I am trying to address more in the music I record".

The album has already earned high praise in the music press. "Guitar fans – prepare to be dazzled", raves MusicRadar.com. All Music Guide notes how Johnson "continues to find interesting ways to hone his specific craft on Up Close", and Guitar Player magazine observes, "Despite the esteemed company, however, it is Johnson’s spectacular guitar work that elevates the record to empyrean heights".

Lyrical themes of reflection, emotional revelations, personal growth and fulfillment are underscored on the album by Johnson’s most daring, urgent, progressive and at times raw and fervent guitar work to date. As with all of Johnson’s work, his all-encompassing style draws from rock, blues, pop, country, jazz and classic to exemplify his stature as "an extraordinary guitar player accessible to ordinary music fans", as the Memphis Commercial Appeal observes.

Tracklist:

01. Awaken

02. Fatdaddy

03. Brilliant Room

04. Texas

05. Gem

06. Austin

07. Soul Surprise

08. On the Way

09. Arithmetic

10. The Sea and the Mountain

11. Vortexan

12. A Change Has Come to Me

13. Your Book

Johnson burst into the musical mainstream with his landmark 1990 album Ah Via Musicom, which won him a Grammy, yielded a record three Top 10 instrumental hits like "Cliffs of Dover" from a single LP release, and earned him platinum sales status. Enshrined in Guitar Player’s Gallery of Greats and named one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century by Musician magazine alongside numerous other awards, Johnson’s career has been marked by his gift for writing songs with vivid and indelible melodies and lyrical, concise and adventurous playing that focuses on melody and the song rather than six-string gymnastics.

A frequent collaborator with other guitar legends, he has continued to explore the myriad possibilities of guitar-based musical artistry since his debut major label release in 1986, "Tones", that landed him on the cover of Guitar Player.

"Up Close - Another Look" is energized by Johnson’s continuing focus on broadening and enriching his work "I wanted to bare myself a little further and show myself more", he says. "I want my music to always grow and have more of a profound meaning and impact".

Eric Johnson - UK Tour April 2013

24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898

Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com

All Tickets: £25 (except £30, London)

London o2 Shepherds Bush Empire

Wednesday 3rd April

Tickets: £30 / Box Office: 0844 477 2000

Doors 7pm/ Stage 8pm

Shepherd's Bush Green, London W12 8TT

www.o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk

Harrogate Theatre

Thursday 4th April