Johnny Hiland - Johnny Hiland
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.45 You Save: $5.53 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.44 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Johnny Hiland
Free Music Review: Chick'n Pick'n Kick'n Licks!
Hit: 5 Stars
Excellent guitar album by Johnny Hiland. Check out the samples, listen to him on Pandora, try before you buy. But I think you'll be buying!Free Music Review: take it in context and ENJOY!
Hit: 4 Stars
I take some issue with reviewers grousing because they "knew hiland could play better." there's NOTHING unimpressive or lackluster on this album. I'm overjoyed to have bought it. I heard this guy for the first time on "Prairie Home Companion" and was blown away. But one has to wonder what people expect from a very technically skilled player's first release. As a musician of 20+ years I've come to realize that if you put all your energy into making a record that is intended to cause other guitarists to promptly commit seppuku after listening to it, then you're NOT going to sell a lot of albums. The sad truth is that the percentage of the music consuming populous that actually wants to buy an "all guitar, all JAW DROPPING technique" album is so small that Steve Vai couldn't really make that much money off producing it. I don't know very much about Peter Collins (the producer of this disc), but I have to say that he put together a GOOD, listenable, rock/country/instrumental album, that people besides guitar players can or would listen to. My father's appreciation for "guitar music" doesn't extend much farther than a duets album Chet Atkins and Les Paul recorded decades ago, but a testament to "Johnny Hiland"'s composition and production comes from the fact that after hearing it in my car on the way home from picking him up at the airport, he had my mother call me and put it on his christmas list. Bingo: another twelve bucks for executive producer Steve Vai. More often than not musicians have very little control over an album once the producers start talking. I enjoyed this album a lot. It has fine, fast articulate playing, and Mr. Big's rhythm section backing up a GREAT guitarist. Sheehan and Torpy do a fantastic job of pretending that they're rented session players, and I really hope they're on Hiland's next release. My only beef is the cornball sax solos that crop up a coupe of times. I could do without those. The bottom line is: if you're waiting for the return of Danny Gatton, wait for Hiland to get a couple of discs under his belt and then produce his OWN album. Until then, this album might be a little commercial friendly, but I still don't know too many players who could nail every note on this recording the way Johnny Hiland does. Take this disc in context, don't expect a lost Gatton recording, and you won't be disappointed.Free Music Review: Johnny Hiland by Johnny Hiland
Hit: 4 Stars
Eponimous guitar instrumental CD. 43 mins. There are two reasons why you should check this out, (1) Johnny Hiland was/is a Nashville session guitarist and everyone knows (or should know) that they are a breed apart (all hail!), (2) it is produced by Steve Vai. Hmmm, you say, a country guitarist who can shred? And that's about right but not the whole story. I thought, at first, that the album was a portfolio or resume type affair and there is a little of that about it - more of a collection of (for want of a better word) stuff than a coherant whole. But I've come round and have enjoyed the album more the more I've played it. There is a lot of good country type stuff and some jazzier stuff, some mellow (slightly cheesy but nice) stuff but the influence of Vai is there even to the extent of the 'out takes' that creep in to certain tracks (a la Alien Love Secrets - a master piece) - I like that by the way, bit of humour never hurts. There is no doubt Hiland is up there with the best of country players and also that he can do the tapping, shred stuff although with less distortion and no wah that might be expected from the heavier shredders. I would love to see him live and would love to hear him play some blues. But most of all I think next time (I hope there is a next time) he should focus on what he regards as his 'thang'. We know he can play now let's hear what he WANTS to play. A short word for the backing musicians who are excellent, I mean EXCELLENT, with the bass solos (with harmonics thrown in for goodness sake!!) on some of the tracks totally outrageous- respect to them and to Johnny for giving them the space to be heard.Free Music Review: Johnny Hiland CD
Hit: 4 Stars
Johnny Hiland is an excellent country/country swing guitar player. This CD not only showcases his country playing but also shows us he can play several other styles like Via/Satriani rock. I first saw Johnny a couple of years ago at the NAMM show in Anaheim where hes was demonstrating for Fender. There was a crowd of folks around him getting into his contry playing. I would say his rock playing and songwriting although technically excellent are nothing you haven't heard before. I think his country playing is unique and hard to beat. I would buy this CD again if I lost it.Free Music Review: Whew!
Hit: 4 Stars
Hiland's style is flashy, fiery and showy, so much so that I can only take this project a few songs at a time. My big beef is that the drumming seems lackluster and undynamic. . .not up to par with the rest of the playing. 1-THWACK-2-THWACK gets awfully old awfully fast, even at the warp-speed pace of most of the songs.