Sounds Like:  A musical eulogy for the lost spaces. 

All right, I’m going to let you in on a secret.

You ready?

Scoot closer, as it’s a little personal.

Here it goes: I hate doing the dishes. I know, shocking. But of all the chores, it’s the one I despise the most. But a funny thing happened over the pandemic,  I began enjoying them. I created a little ritual for myself, to end my day in comfort. After the rest of the house has gone to bed, I do a full straightening, setting up things for the morning- like the morning’s coffee, clearing the counters, doing the dishes — all that stuff. During which, I put on record, and let it consume me.

Now, as this is usually pretty late, there is a very specific type of record I put on, I call them my blue flame albums. These are records that have a smoldering intensity, never raucous, but driven, probably with a touch of melancholy. Often these are purely instrumental albums, and this is where Chuck Johnson come in.  His record “Balsams” was a frequent selection during my closing time routine. To call it a pedal steel album would barely scratch the surface. Though that’s the primary instrument, his music is haunting and otherworldly.

Early in 2021, he released “The Cinder Grover.” It took me a minute to find my footing with this album. His ethereal steel playing still sits at the forefront, there are new sounds here. Strings and piano all rise and swell, adding new dimensions. At times, it creates a real sense of uneasiness, a foreboding uncertainty and sadness. Which makes sense, as Mr. Johnson intended this album as a eulogy of sorts. “The Cinder Grove” is intended to memorialize spaces lost, particularly those in his home state of California which have been destroyed by the divesting wildfires over the last few years. It’s a captivating listen, tapping into those places within your soul you ought to spend more time with. This year, “The Cinder Grove” was the requiem I needed; my nightly benediction, reminding me to love what I have, because even something as routine as doing the dishes, can soon be gone.

No Favorite track, it’s one complete work to me.

Check out Chuck Johnson’s Bandcamp page!