Michael Johnson - Moonlit Deja Vu - [CD]

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Moonlit Déjà Vu is Michael Johnson’s first studio album in 15 years and shows a songwriter and performer at the top of his game. Perhaps best known for his hit song “Bluer Than Blu e” and several #1 Billboard-charting country songs, Moonlit Déjà Vu is a riveting and intimate mix of folk, jazz, romance and nostalgia.A troubadour in every sense of the word, Michael is in the middle of an artistic renaissance and Moonlit Déjà Vu puts his beautiful finger style guitar and vocals front and center. The eleven tracks reflect a life that has seen success, loss and illness with intimate and authentic songs like “My Favorite Lies” and “How Do You Know What You Know?” Perhaps what is most special about this record is his duet with his long lost daughter, Truly Carmichael, on “One Mile Apart.” As themes of being close someone without knowing it permeate in this song as well as “April Fool” and “Looking for Rainbows (Without and Umbrella)” their serendipitous reuniting after more than 20 years makes this performance even more compelling.From start to finish, Moonlit Déjà Vu is a high calibur folk album from one of the top-tier performers in the acoustic world that no folk music fan should be without.About the ArtistMichael Johnson is a masterful guitarist and songwriter who has had several Billboard-charting hits. Equally at home singing pop, country or classics from the American songbook, he remains one of the true authentic voices in contemporary music. His songs have been recorded by such artists as Alison Krauss, Suzy Bogguss, Chet Atkins and The Persuasions.Born in Alamosa, Colorado and raised near Denver, he began playing guitar at age 13. He went to Colorado State College to study music but left after winning an international talent contest that landed him a deal with Epic Records. He then moved to Barcelona, where he attended the Liceu Conservatory to study with the classical guitar great Graciano Tarragó. Not long after returning to the States, he joined Randy Sparks in a group called the New Society, touring East Asia. After that he toured with the Chad Mitchell Trio and began co-writing and touring with John Denver, forming a trio called Denver, Boise & Johnson.After spending some time as an actor, working in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, he returned to music to release some of his biggest songs, including Top 40 hits like “Bluer Than Blue,” “This Night Won’t Last Forever” and “Almost Like Being in Love.” He then enjoyed equal success in Nashville, recording #1 country songs with singers like Juice Newton and Sylvia.Always most at home on stage with just an acoustic guitar, Michael continued to tour solo, playing about half his shows in Minnesota, where he lived from 1969 to 1985. At one of his recent shows at the Dakota Jazz Club, he met up with singer-songwriter John Gorka. Michael talked about wanting to return to his acoustic roots, and John connected him with his manager and his St. Paul-based label Red House Records. Very familiar with Michael’s work, Red House president Eric Peltoniemi was delighted to meet Michael and hear his new material. “I was just stunned at how great his new songs were,” he says. “It thrilled me to hear a true artist still at the top of his game.” Michael signed with Red House and got to work recording his new songs at Minneapolis’ Wild Sound Recording Studio.Ready to return to his roots, Michael moved to Minneapolis. “It just seemed that all roads were leading me back to Minnesota--signing with Red House, working on the new album and most especially, reconnecting with my daughter who lives here.” Michael adds, “And I’m just an old hippy, and I need to be up where my people are.” Show more