Album Of The Week

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Published 2020-07-06 06:00

"It’s a 9 minute folk rock monster, a journey of the modern age of songwriters in a collapsing record industry. It’s being played on rock stations and bluegrass programs, public radio and commercial radio. It’s being used in college classes and has even become a parlor game as people study and comment on the lyrics."

- Blue Desert, DK -

"A latter day ‘American Pie’, ‘Legacy’ is the new 9 minute single from Michael Johnathon, a tribute to all the artists who have influenced his musical journey. Strumming guitar and accompanied by piano, it both takes its musical structure from Don McLean’s classic and cleverly namechecks it with some wordplay in the chorus, each verse a chapter in contemporary musical history, throwing in some often cryptic song and artist references to 'Stairway To Heaven', Jim Croce, The Kingston Trio, Steve Goodman, Dylan, Pete Seeger, Harry Chapin, Joni Mitchell, Dave Van Ronk, Rick Nelson and many others, as it makes its way from modern music’s formative years to 'download digital' and 'Facebook memes' and the collapse of the record industry as it once was as he sings about 'playing my guitar and hoping you would hear me'. Given this has received huge airplay across America and is even being used in college classes, I think he’s probably succeeded on that score."

- Folking, UK -

“On his 15th album ‘Legacy’, American folksinger and songwriter Michael Johnathon from Kentucky honours his musical heroes by covering 4 legendary songs from Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Irving Berlin. Moreover, in the storytelling title track he is, during 9 whole minutes, paying tribute to all his idols and examples in the folk music world.“

- Rootstime, BE -

"'Legacy' is an album with 10 tracks where we can find well known songs penned during the previous historical years, and Michael gave ’em his own signature and performing approach. So, we can face it with the songs of Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin, Kingston Trio, James Taylor. Johnathon sings with passion, emotions and minimal instrumental following. I can not say that arrangements are different from original versions, but method of singing is a specific element of his interpretation, and potential listener can enjoy Michael visions and views in full."

- Time Machine Music, RS -

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