Jonny Lang cut his debut album in
Memphis when he was just 15, and,
upon its release in 1996, the guitar
prodigy from Minneapolis instantly
became one of the leading lights of modern blues. He's a fast and flashy
player whose approach rests equally on technical assurance and musical
intelligence. Sizing up a dozen songs, he gets a pleasing, razor-sharp
sound out of his ax while building excitement in his lead lines--thankfully,
he steers clear of cliché and bombast. As a fledging singer, he
acts out
the lyrics of Ike Turner's age-old shuffle "Matchbox" and his own
romantic ballad "Missing Your Love" with surprising poise and
believability. Kudos to producer David Z for surrounding Lang with alert,
first-rate sidemen and for helping select good material from Turner,
Sonny Boy Williamson, Tinsley Ellis, and others. --Frank-John Hadley
Entertainment Weekly (1/31/97)
The ripe, vibrant voice of contemporary blues singer and guitarist Lang
is
so compelling, it would be an exceptional major-label debut even if he
weren't only 16...