Johnny Sansone - Once It Gets Started

Playful Pie

This is full of gutsy blues where Johnny Sansone’s amped harmonica and growled vocal combine to swamp even the thundering riffs of his backing band, Maggie Koerner on fine vocal support here and elsewhere. There are subtleties too, as with fourth The Night The Pie Factory Burned Down, a lament for the metaphor that is his burnt heart rather than the cherry, apple or fudge variety [I didn’t say the figurative lyricism was subtle, I meant the slower sound], Sansone playing a subtler harmonica here too – no need to amp these crisp notes.

But it’s stomping opener Once It Gets Started that grabs the attention, and you can hear a fine live version here. No other track really quite matches, though second Back To You romps loudly – this dual start genuinely rousing – but the blues grooves do continue to delight, as with sixth, hand-clapped chugger 9^th Ward Landlord. Ninth Ranton With Stanton foregrounds some stonnking harmonica and more thundering back-up. Penultimate and tenth Goodbye is a beautiful instrumental with acoustic guitar and lamenting harmonica.