I got this CD out of a few that came in and I saved it for last because I had an inkling it might be special. The honeycombed blue background
complete with yin-yang on the cover attracted me. Or maybe it was the mean-looking drone bee. I knew there was something, so I saved it
for last.
As I slipped the CD in the top drive of my machine it reeked of "rocktitude". My player came alive with the angry buzz of the drone bee.
Then the first track "Drone" kicked in and I realized the bee sound effects were a fitting intro. My ears couldn't have been more at home
in the jammed up SG chords coming from my dusty system. My poor old drive could have melted from the sheer energy of this wonderful good ol'
rock and glorious roll. Song after song I was blessed with some high talent,
whether it was the distorted bass riffs here and there by Christo Strone or
the take-no-prisoners hits on the skins by Mike Benigno.
"If I" caught me by surprise, establishing itself as a masterpiece, while "Mud" was
so different it was like treating rock as an old farmhouse
and restoring it to its former glory.
On down the line "Drone" was not
disappointing at all! But then there was the final title "Eat Their Gods." This is a far out rock trip
with a journey from beginning to end. At nine minutes and forty seconds it's
a long song, but certainly not so long as to lose the listener's interest.
Johnny began his musical career at the age of eight. Dr. Barnett
of Rumania threw him out of piano class for improvising on "Go Tell Aunt
Rhodie". Then the evil Doc told the youngster's parents about his
insubordination and refusal to comply with his gospel word. Johnny lost his
sight at age 17 but that apparently hasn't slowed him down at all. His live
shows are energy-filled. At an early age he went on a world tour
with former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor as the singer and
keyboardist in the Mick Taylor Band. During the time since, he's cut up on
numerous stages across North America and around the world performing,
recording, and producing various projects from New York to Tokyo.
Johnny has
produced work for Elliot Randall (Steely Dan) Kool Moe Dee, Steve Thornton
(Miles Davis) and the drummer for Peter Gabriel, Allan Schwartzberg just to
name a few. Projects of Johnny's include charting on CMJ with "Dark Black
Past" and, the first single from "Drone", "Rain" was a Southern regional
break-out on commercial radio. Mr. Young is now promoting the newest single
"If I" which will be on the air in a few weeks.
I love this CD, I love the lyrics, and I love the music. "Drone" will go
down as one of my favorites and will remain a must-have in any rock devotee's
collection!
