Gordie Johnson is a man of many hats. In 35 plus years in music Johnson has fronted the platinum selling Big Sugar, experimented in dub with Alkaline, dabbled in “cowboy metal” with Grady, played bass and recorded with Wide Mouth Mason, released two blues/dub/gospel records as part of the Sit Down Servant!! duo and spent a substantial amount of time in the producer’s chair for various other folk’s projects too numerous to mention.
As with any lengthy career, Johnson’s years in the business have not been without their ups and downs. Multiple line up changes have plagued Big Sugar since their inception, two members have died (drummer Walter “Crash” Morgan in 1995 and reggae bassist Gary Lowe in 2018) and longtime member Kelly “Mr. Chill” Hoppe (keyboards/harmonica/horns) retired from the outfit in 2017, the same year DJ Friendlyness (keyboards/percussion/rapper) decided to call it quits after having served five years with the band. Throughout all the changes the one constant has been Johnson’s trademark vocals and guitar work, despite the fact he had to take time off from the instrument due to doctor’s orders following surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome in 2012.
Over the years there has been a seismic shift in the Big Sugar sound, mostly due to the personnel changes already noted. The absence of Mr. Chill’s blues harp and horn playing lead the band away from the blues, not to mention the loss of Lowe’s reggae beat bass playing so integral to the core of Big Sugar’s 90’s sound. In 2018 Johnson told The Globe & Mail, “(Lowe’s) bass sound became how I envisioned Big Sugar’s sound- a blend of blues and rock anchored by his reggae groove.” So where exactly does that leave Big Sugar in 2020, 29 years after their eponymously titled debut album was released in 1991?
Eternity Now, Big Sugar’s 10th album in near 30 years begins with an unlikely bit of Rush influenced synth based prog rock courtesy of guest guitarist Alex Lifeson. The remaining 8 tracks stick close to home in a riffy classic rock formula with just the occasional hint of Johnson’s bluesy background honed as far back as his teen years growing up in Windsor, Ontario hopping the border playing bars in Detroit and Chicago. There’s something distinctively Canadian about the radio friendly rock vibe Johnson gives these tracks. “Wonder Woman” sounds as if it could have been off any number of BTO’s hit albums from the 1970’s. Everything here is slick as can be with the mid tempo “Anything Is Possible” sounding every bit as tight as any mid 80’s Bryan “Summer Of ’69” Adams could hope for. “New Event Horizon” feels a bit too much like filler, conversely “Ultra Violet” has an infectious electric gypsy swing to it. The ballad “Strange Spectacular” rounds things off toward the end of this 41 minute spin which ends with the “more cowbell” Taxman-esque neo-psychedelic banger “Everything You Want It To Be” 1966 John, Paul, George and Ringo would have been proud to call their own. While not the groundbreaking Five Hundred Pounds nor the crowd pleasing Heated or Hemi-Vision, Eternity Now is a hard rocking eclectic mix highlighting the best of Johnson’s many talents.
7/10
2020 Song Of The Day Club
Bi-Weekly Record Review 25/26