Buck Johnson, member of Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr band, recently released his new album, “Tongue and Groove.”
Personally, I have known Buck Johnson’s music since growing up listening to Whiskey Falls. I still listen to Whiskey Falls, but unfortunately most of their catalog is not available on streaming platforms which makes it really inconvenient to enjoy.
The album opens with the worldwide hit he wrote along with Damon Johnson (no relation) of Alice Cooper, Brother Cane, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Whiskey Falls, as well as Jamie Houston, “Just Feel Better.” The song was originally recorded by Carlos Santana and Steven Tyler. Johnson’s version rivals the original recording and was previously released as a single by Johnson prior to the album.
The album dives right into the second track, “Living the Life,” another previously released single. It is possibly the most pop-oriented song on the album, it sounds like a Drake Bell song. It is kind of cheesy, but it has its own charm. It is a great, upbeat song if lyrics are not a concern.
The third track is where completely new material comes into play. I was not prepared for there to be an explicit label anywhere on the album but “Live for the Song” provides that. Personally, I do not like curse words in my music but luckily, he used a curse word with class, so it gets a pass. The song is about his life as a touring musician, an amazing rock song.
After “Live for the Song” is the title track, “Tongue and Groove,” the song is even more personal to Johnson, he mentions Shady Grove, Ala, which is where he is from. He also mentions his father, recalling the time a storm headed for his house but his father assured him the house would stand through any storm because it was built tongue and groove. One of the most powerful lyrics from the whole album is “That’s the way we live our lives,” “we’re built tongue and groove.” The song serves as the entire premise of the album, and it works.
“Wake up Joanna” is my new sad boy hour song, though it was also previously released as a single. It is upbeat, but the lyrics resonate with me so much. A song for when you cannot accept the loss.
“When Love Was Young” sounds like a mix of Jeff Beck and Fleetwood Mac with the guitar and electric piano work. A contender for sad boy hour but it does not have the drive “Wake up Joanna” exhibits.
“Who Do You Think You Are” follows “When Love Was Young” and restores the rock drive of the album. It was also previously released as a single. It is a great, angry breakup song, guaranteed to degrade any ex. The backing vocals during the last minute of the song are incredible. “And Then the Rain Comes” starts off with a weird intro but continues the rock drive. The song has a fake ending about a minute out from the true ending where the chorus picks back up. The pre-chorus to the section sounds similar to an Elton John song. Another great song off the album.
The album closes nine tracks later with “If I Could Only Be Sure.” The guitar work makes it sound like a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. The song does an amazing job of rounding out and closing the album. If listening on repeat the end of the album blends with the beginning.
It is a great album but there is some room for improvement. The caliber of musicians behind this album is not an issue. James Dean Hicks and Charlie Midnight, who are amazing country songwriters, along with Peter Stroud, longtime guitarist of Sheryl Crow, have credits on the album. Damon Johnson and Jamie Houston are also credited.
The primary issue is there are only nine songs, four of which were previously released as singles. Getting this album was more like getting an EP. It barely hits the 40 minute mark, clocking in at 41 minutes. It would have been nice if Johnson recycled a song he wrote for Whiskey Falls, “Days of Birmingham,” along with “Tongue and Groove” those songs would have complemented each other on this album because the lyrical content of both songs mention growing up, in and around Shady Grove, which is in the greater Birmingham area. Damon Johnson recycled one of the songs he wrote for Whiskey Falls for his solo project “Release” in 2010, not to mention he also recycled “Just Feel Better” in the same project.
Overall, it is a great album for fans of rock music. Johnson sings like he did 15 years ago when he was a part of Whiskey Falls. His voice is awesome to listen to, he still has it, many rock artists unfortunately can not sing as well anymore. The instrumentals are also well produced.
