Sonny Landreth
Album: Elemental Journey
Label: Proper
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.sonnylandreth.com/

Sonny Landreth is a blues guitarist from Southwest Louisiana who is best known for his slide playing.

Elemental Journey is his 11th solo album and his first to be entirely instrumental. Sonny has worked with such luminaries as Jimmy Buffet, John Hiatt, Little Feat and Mark Knopfler. He has performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival [in 2004, 2007 and 2010]. He was voted the Americana Music Association's Instrumentalist of the Year in 2005, so he has quite a pedigree.

As I already mentioned, this is a purely instrumental album and it features some stunning slide playing from Sonny, along with special guests Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. Sonny's stated aim for this album was to "Create sonic stories without words".

The album gets off to a cracking start with "Gaia Tribe" which features the aforementioned Mr.Satriani performing an amazing solo which will have guitar players everywhere weeping.

"For You and Forever" features Sonny's trademark slide together with strings arranged by Sam Broussard and played by members of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mariusz Smolij. In fact, strings feature on five of the tracks, which adds an interesting and unusual [for a blues album] element to the compositions.

"Heavy Heart Rising" is a great track which reminds me alot of the wonderful Hellecasters. "Wonderide" is a stunning combination of zydeco rhythms and classical strings, which works remarkably well.

"Passionola" is a gorgeous, evocative tune which features a guest spot from Eric Johnson. He and Sonny play off each other beautifully. "Letting Go" is a slow, soulful blues with organ providing a solid base for Sonny's guitar extemporisations.

"Forgotten Story" has a Caribbean feel to it, courtesy of some excellent steel drum playing from guest Robert Greenidge, which adds a new dimension to Sonny's music.

The final track, "Opening Sky", is another to feature a string arrangement in an original and inventive way and provides a fitting finale to an album that will appeal to lovers of virtuoso guitar playing, especially those who relish great slide playing.

Peter Cowley