Bravo Johnson "Come Taste The Sun"
Mellow Byrds?
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A four piece band from California, Bravo Johnson wear their (sunny) hearts on their sleeves proclaiming their love of seventies mellow rock in their bio. Lead by the eponymous Bravo (Ricardo Amurrio) who sings and plays guitar and wurlitzer piano with support from Hendrick Roever (guitars, Dobro, Banjo and slide), Oscar Duke (bass) and Inaki Garcia (drums), they have a fine handle on hazy, shimmering rock melodies that do reek of that decade. Thankfully they steer away from what became AOR instead looking to the likes of Neil Young and Southern boogie for inspiration.
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The Neil Young sound indeed is carried off very well on a brace of songs including “Bird” and “Hopper/Fonda,” two songs that that really do invoke the spirit of Young circa Zuma.
The boogie band bit is less successful as Johnson’s vocals are too weedy for the part and the dull repetition of “EZ Chain” and “Ship” is, well, simply dull. There are some wonderful moments. The dappled “Sun Song” laps like waves on a calm Pacific coast while “Sway” has some fine swooning slide guitar. Overall however this reminds me of the likes of the latter day albums by bands like Spirit, trying to recapture the glory days but only managing a tantalising glimpse of what once was great.
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