Austerity is something that Johny Dey certain values. This is evinced by the artwork of the album, or should I say photography? The booklet is rife with photos of New Jersey wilderness and glimpses of Johny staring into the distance with trusty guitar in hand.
His music has a singer-songwriter quality to it, Johny is on guitar, bass and vocals so the music is very structurally sound and his drummer, Clint Gascoyne, doesn’t do anything to take away from the music. He plays tasteful rhythms and fills where they’re appropriate. What more can be asked of a drummer?
The music here is simple, it’s nothing that’ll leave you in awe of Johny’s technical prowess, although, in track five, “Pride & Voodo,” Johny shows that he’s no slacker when it comes to extended solos. As a whole this music has its own charms that transcends genre. Yes, it’s rock, but it’s not simply a rehashing of rock ‘n’ roll conventions, it’s more of a personal style that Johny has cultivated with time and care.
His music is apologetic, not that he would have any reason to apologize given the quality of it, but either way I’m certain he would keep rocking out like this even if he only did it for his own enrichment. One can tell that Johny does this because it’s fun and edifying, not simply to earn a buck. It’s rare to find music with such integrity behind it. Even if you’re not a fan of the style of music that Johny plays, respect must be given to him in that he puts out an honest effort.
In a Word: Slick
