Album Review: Eric Johnson & Mike Stern - Eclectic (Score: 9/10)

Johnson_Stern_HUI_35768_02_RGB_1You’ve got two titans from the guitar world; Johnson is the Grammy-winning progressive rocker from Texas and Stern is the epitome of modern New York City jazz and cool. This, their first collaboration together, is a music afi-cionado’s wet dream. The album is an amalgam of the duo’s diverse playing styles and backgrounds. Right out of the gate solos are deftly exchanged on the funky “Roll With It.” Then they shift gears into the modal bop realm for the Coltrane-esque “Remember.” A scorching rendition of Hendrix’s “Red House” closes the album. Simply put, what’s not to like!? – Eric A. Harabadian