Pair one classic rock 'n' roll wild man with a California instro outfit and you get Moontan, the rollicking new CD from EVAN JOHNS! Featuring 12 original songs by Evan Johns (vocals, guitar, mandolin) backed by The Hillbilly Soul Surfers (Sherman LeRoi on guitar, pedal steel and guitorgan, Grant Harvey on bass and Eric Jerde on drums), this album is a rootenanny of riotous twang and jocular plaints that will prove irresistible to any fan of authentic American music!
Representing his first new studio recording to be released in almost a decade, Moontan not only reaffirms Evan Johns' legendary status as an edge-walking guitar mangler, but also as a nimble tunesmith with a voice unlike any other. A blast of hot air that will surely feel like a fresh breeze to those previously unexposed to its fractured majesty, Evan's wry twisted singing is more than equal to the passion of his famous fretboard antics. Likewise the Hillbilly Soul Surfers, who easily live up to their genre-spanning handle as they ably support Johns through the stylistic romp of Moontan's fecund tracks.
And what a jaunt it is! "Dear Doc" opens the disc with some of the most muscular Telecaster riffing heard on record since Evan's mentor Danny Gatton was with us. From there, EJ and the band rack up some pristine instrumentals like the sinuous surf of "Surf Don't Crawl" and "Acid Wave" and the stunning border ballad "El Rey De Roto Corazon" (in which Evan literally strangles his guitar to death!)
While manic shouters like "Ever So Desperate" and "Rantin' N' Ravin'" evoke classic Evan Johns from his H-Bombs glory days, fans might be surprised by "Trading Lullabyes," probably the gentlest song the man has ever cut, and "Love Thang," a soon-to-be-hit which sounds like Barry White would if he were a hillbilly!
Evan's penchant for rocking country style is well represented with the swinging comic tune "All Your Cheatin'" and his homage to Merle Travis, "Shootin' The Merle." Pulsating title track "Moontan" and the frat-rock beach music gem "Dancin' Till The End Of Time" round out the set, making Moontan a superlative slab of downhome diversity suitable for all occaisions.
Produced by Dave Sherman and Jeff Bakos at Bakos Amp Works in Atlanta and mastered by southern rock whiz Rodney Mills, Moontan is a perfectly rendered tour-de-force that confirms Evan Johns as a singular treasure that needs to be reintroduced to the world!
