Indie-Music.com - Gene Bryan Johnson ~ gbj

Admittedly, I'll give any disc a spin as long as it contains the word "Lesbian" and it's by a male artist. There are two ways to go with this one - either you're seeking revenge on some woman who's dissed and dismissed you for seemingly "unknown" reasons that can't be fathomed, therefore, deeming her a lesbian; or she's actually a lesbian and confused you with a butch counterpart. Pardon my un-PC-like comments, but I have a day job where I have to use corporate-acceptable speak. I have to vent somewhere, people. So what does all this have to do with Gene Bryan Johnson, New Yorker? Weeellll...the second track on his EP is entitled "Lesbian?", and it was one of the most requested songs on mp3.com's indie charts for quite some time. This song, while catchy, fairly interesting vocally, and certainly possessing that certain "mass acceptable" quality, isn't my favorite on this five-track disc, nor is it the best. The first track, "Back In The Corner Again", starts out in a very vulnerable tone, displaying Johnson's finesse as a guitar player (probably one of his best qualities) and exposing us to his very unique, and exposed, method of performance and singing. "Lesbian?" does offer a stark contrast to this opener, and then slides into the real meat of the EP, "Miss You (not)". Johnson takes a basic approach to some pent up aggression, anger, sadness, and melancholy feelings in regard to a relationship, and I'm guessing one that he's experienced first-hand, to create a sort of opus in the middle of vulnerability that flanks this track. The guitar is fast-pickin' and while the lyrics seem sometimes malicious, sometimes defensive, sometimes sad, often confused, this really speaks to the intent of the song itself - it's a workout through the varying stages of acceptance and denial of breaking it off with someone. The intent is never lost, althought this track veers off in many directions on its way to the end. "You Need Love", while interesting and unique in its delivery and style, just isn't my bag. It just doesn't feel as soulful as the other tunes and feels more imitative than original. But Johnson redeems this disc once more with "Take It Away", showing off that vulnerability and a versatility in his songwriting. Johnson plays all instruments on this disc - acoustic/electric guitars, percussion, piano and synthesizer - and he takes risks on his music and writing. For that, he remains one to watch. While this didn't exactly knock my socks off, there is a great deal of solid potential in his work and I'll look forward to hearing more from him soon.