Customer Reviews

Verbal Penetration

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been waiting for this album to drop for a long time. This is a creative masterpiece. Jesse has been behind the scenes for awhile playing guitar for dj quick and battlecat. While the younger generation thinks that these guys are geniuses this is the man that has been making it hot for them in the background in the studio. Just ask them and hopefully they will admit to it. Sonically this album flows like the ocean. I just hope that our generation embarrases it and gives it it's just do.

Ok, after two weeks, I am having trouble getting past the first disc (IT"S THAT GOOD !!).

This is easily Jesse's best work ever. There is more depth in his music and emotion in his playing than ever before. I've been a huge Jesse fan since seeing the Time (Controversy tour - yes, I am getting old), and was trying to lower my expectations. Frankly, I did not know if Jesse could recapture his magic/touch from his previous releases. These discs are incredible, and at the risk of prompting jabs from unrealistic Prince fans, Verbal Penetration is much better than Lotusflower/MPLSOUND.

The first disc contains 16 tracks. There are 3 brief tracks that are either introductions or segues, so I will omit them.

Jesse gets it started with the title track, "Verbal Penetration", which fits in the mold of a typical Jesse Johnson jam. The first half has a driving bassline and beat with backing female vocals, then Jesse's smooth and signature chorus, which eventually give way to Jesse cuttin' it up. This is one of the strongest tracks.

Next is "Propaganda" which has a slow sexy vibe, which Jesse singing of the perils of buying into everything we see and hear. The song closes with Jesse playing his guitar through a talkbox (a la Roger Troutman).

"U & I R We R Us" has a Curtis Mayfield "Pusherman" feel to it, but with a message that we all are one, and need to unite before self-destructing. This is the first of several tracks where Jesse makes a strong social statement. Though Jesse has done this before (Black in America), the message is far more prevalent on this release.

"100 Watts of Funky" is EXACTLY what you expect it to be, based on its title. This is an explosion of funk with Jesse singing in over an upbeat rhythm section and real horns. Not sure who is playing sax, but GOOD GOD !! This is one of my favorites.

"Merciful" is the first of two instrumentals on this disc. Both songs demonstrate how immense his talent truly is. Merciful is extremely sensual with Jesse playing passionately over a very sexual groove.

The next two tracks are solid, with "Don't Throw Yourself Away" being a lighter tune with the message of remaining strong and proud; not letting anything bring us down or holding us back. "Slo Burnin'" is a gritty funk song.

The next two tracks are my favorites on this disc. I'm not sure who "Sheila Rae" is, but based on what Jesse's singing, she is God's gift to man. This has an upbeat groove and great horn section, with Jesse professing his love for everything about Sheila Rae. "Love Letters" is my favorite song. It's a mellow jam consisting of a stand-up bass and jazzy guitar fills with Jesse doing a D'Angelo feeling falsetto. If D'Angelo played guitar (and still recorded) this is what I'd imagine.

"Slave 2 R Freedom" is Jesse's most socially conscious track, consisting of a bass-driven groove with female backing vocals with a spoken word commentary (not sure if it's Jesse). The spoken word addresses topics like the use of the word 'ni**a' as a term of endearment, lack of pride within our (Black) communities, and general disappointment with our (Black) progress since Dr. King's famous speech. With the exception of 'Black in America', Jesse had never seemed to put his views out there. With this CD, the gloves came all the way off.

"We R So Strong" begins with a jazzy guitar and trumpet intro, with Jesse showing off his ability to play jazz. Though the lyrics are uplifting, I found myself hypnotized by Jesse's fluid, free-flowing playing.

Last, and certainly not least, is the second instrumental on this disc, "Beautiful Sadie". Jesse shows that there are very few on this planet who have master the guitar like him. I was absolutely mesmerized by his playing here. This is why we but his stuff. AWESOME !!

I realize that I can not do this CD justice here, but it's clear to me that Jesse has grown significantly as a musician, lyricist, and person. The social commentary is not heavy-handed and is very much in the vein of Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye. It appears Jesse is seeking to provoke us to do some self-reflection as well as enjoying the music.

Verbal Penetration - Volume 2 (disc 2), which has a very different vibe than its predecessor. This disc has contains 13 tracks and a far more overt social agenda. Besides a brief Intro, there five other tracks that are spoken word over background music. Let's get these out of the way first.

"Redemption For the Soul. Enlightenment for the Earhole" a French-accented woman recounts an underground movement in the distant future --- a time when 'free' music is banned. On this night, the clandestine gathering is soaking in the creative works of Jesse Johnson (a guitarist, producer, songwriter, and cultural icon of the late 20th and early 21st centuries). The focus of the tale is the message of Verbal Penetration -- "self-respect, love, and the omnipotent power of communication". The group is discovered by the 'music police'and ....... (I don't want to spoil the ending).

"Meditation 01: Astrology" is a spoken word piece (with background music) attempting to link the change in the classification of Pluto as a planet, to the government's attempt to restrict changes in our society (Yes, I know it's a reach). I found the concept to be a bit rambling, and was not fond of this track.

"Meditation 02: Self-Love" is also a spoken word piece containing the dialog between a Black mother and her son. She is explaining their ethnic origins and how understanding one's cultural identity will help with individual self-discovery. While discounting most historal writings and teachings related to Black history and culture as false, she cautions her son from adopting the shortcomings of "today's Black culture" (e.g. use of the word ni$$a).

"Reflections" is an interview with Jesse while "VP Credits" are his acknowledgements. The CD does not contain any written credits except for those related to Jesse's attire and appearance (make-up, hair, fashion).

Now, on to the music .....

"Get Next to You" starts with a driving beat and Jesse shredding it which evolves into a funky seduction of someone Jesse wants to connect with . This is a great way to launch into the second disc. The guitar solo is phenomenal.

"Ali Vs Frazier" is a JAZZ tune. Yes, I said jazz, from Jesse. Presumably in honor of Wes Montgomery, Jesse shows off his smooth guitar-playing in a fast paced song featuring a standup bass and drummer. About two thirds into the track, the bassist (I assume is Jesse) plays a killer solo.

"Please Let Me Go" features a female lead vocal in a bluesy/country song, while that reminds me alittle of "I Miss" and "You Don't Love Me the Same" from Bare My Naked Soul.

"You Have a Friend" is a light song about Jesse encouraging a friend to count on his friendship. Jesse sings in his traditional 'psuedo-falsetto' with female backing vocals on the choruses. This is very easy to listen to and let the vibe just wash over you.

"Letters From a Soldier" is a wonderful ballad about a soldier professing his love for his soulmate, and praying that their love will be enough to bring him back safely to her. It encompasses many of the emotions (I imagine) a soldier must have to motivate him/her to push through the hells of conflict, and reason to survive. Simply beautiful.

"In The Key of Nudity" is a hard driving rock instrumental. Although very catchy, it does get alittle monotonous with very minimal variation from the aggressive beat and melody.

"Peace Be With You" is bluesy insrumental. A nice way to end the compilation. It has a "I'll catch you all later" feel to it.

Needless to say, I am really enjoying Verbal Penetration. If forced to choose, I prefer the first disc, particularly since it contains more music. I find the social and political messages to be interesting in that they provide greater insight into what Jesse thinks/believes/is concerned about. I must admit that my impressions of Jesse were based on the few interviews he did back in the late 80's and early 90's where he seemed to mumble his responses and offered very insight beyond his music. I vividly remember an episode of Video Soul (with Donnie Simpson on BET) where he came across as flaky. It appears, that with age, he has grown in both intellect and confidence to a point where he is comfortable espousing his views and trying to impart change. His apparent adoration of Curtis Mayfield certainly seems to be a strong influence.

Well, enough of my rambling. I hope everyone enjoys Verbal Penetration as much as I do. Can't wait to see Jesse live (which he promises in Reflections).

If you don't have this yet, track it down --- NOW.

This project is top shelf. Jesse Johnson is one of the best and yet undersung guitarists in the business. Jesse takes us back to a time when artists made statements and their music reflected their observations of the times they were in.
Thanks to the internet, artists are free to express themselves freely without being concerned about what record company's / promotional departments have to say. It's easy math, people love good music and can make up their own minds about what they like. This is an incredible body of work, anyone who loves good music / soul, blues, rock, funk, should love this. An amazing producer/songwriter. Grade a+ guitarist!

This is one of the best albums in my vast music library. JESSE JOHNSON has always been consistent in terms of releasing great music in the past, but this is one of his strongest to date. This is also one the better albums to come out in a long time period. I would rate this album on the same level as PRINCE's release which came out around the same time called "LOTUS FLOWER". The music is very diverse and powerful,the style and sound is very FUNKY with other great musical styles fused in such as: ROCK,JAZZ and sweet deep old school SOUL. The spoken word material is about deep cultural knowledge of self and history. JESSE's vocals are that of a young CURTIS MAYFIELD and the interview with him on "REFLECTIONS" is great because you get to hear about his influences on guitar for the first time,he himself being one of the greatest to ever pick up a FENDER STRAT! The quality in the music and production on this album is so good that you can't miss if you're into FUNKY SOUL music. My fav tracks are: "100 Watts Of Funky","Slo Burnin","Love Letters" and "Ali Vs Frazier". The track "Merciful" also displays some EDDIE HAZEL inspired acid funky rock guitar solos. Check this joint out you will not be disappointed!

CLASSIC, right up there with SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE,WHAT'S GOING ON, and GEORGE FUNK CLINTON

I've been a fan of Jesse Johnson since his 1985 debut; Jesse Johnson's Revue. Since that release every album has had it's own vibe and Verbal Penetration is no exception. VP mixes the rawness of Bare My naked Soul with the groove and funk of his 80's albums. But unlike those albums from the 80's VP sounds timeless, defying any sort of time stamp. After a few songs it becomes very apparent that Johnson is a fan of 70's style funk, harking back to artists like Curtis Mayfield, Eddie Hazzle and Marvin Gaye... with a twist of D'Angelo, which Johnson successfully mixes together without ever sounding trite. It' truly amazing that this far in his career he's able to pull out an album that's so creative... passionate... urgent. The songs range from upbeat funk to gentle ballads to rock instrumentals to mid-tempo tunes. Despite the range of material there's a thread thru out that makes this double disc feel like an album... like one body of work. There are few songs the album could do without but with 29 songs, I think Mr. Johnson is allowed a few indulgences. If you're a fan of the 'Minneapolis Music Scene' you'll find Verbal Penetration to be one of the best releases in a looooong time. This album reminds of the excitement I felt when I first listened to Prince's Sign 'O The Times - yeah, it's that good!

It is extremely upsetting to me that an album this good...correction...great has gone basically unnoticed. It is sad that the general music buying public, radio, and video no longer seems to appreciate real R&B music. Enough of my rant, now on to the CD.

I stumbled upon this CD as I searched Amazon to preview the new Time (Original7) CD and also to try to download "Cool" (unfortunately not available for digital download). Amazon recommended Verbal Penetration by Jesse Johnson. I liked some of Jesse's solo stuff from the 80's, but I wasn't even aware that Jesse Johnson had any recent work out, so I thought I would listen to the sample for kicks and giggles...maybe I would find a couple of tracks to download. After listening to the sample, I said to hell with download....I need to purchase this entire CD, something I rarely do these days. Since I received it a few weeks ago, I have been playing it ever since. I also recommended it to every R&B fan that I know (and they've all loved it). This CD has everything an R&B fan could ever ask for....funky tracks, smooth tracks, jazz tracks and more. It sounds like an incredible mix of Minneapolis funk (Time, Prince, etc.), James Brown, and Curtis Mayfield. I just can't explain in words how great this CD is. It has got to be the best full CD (of any genre) that I've heard in the past 10 years. It is easily better (IMO) than any Prince album since Purple Rain.

Bottom line, this is an extremely talented dude, and this is one fantastic album!

PS - I am 35 y/o and also a fan of hip hop, jazz, pop, rock, etc.

I love it. Jesse didn't disappoint me. This is grown folks music from my favorite guitar player from my favorite band.

In my opinion after listening to the first three tracks, is that this album is really cold. I remember Jesse Johnson from the eighties. His music was warm and refreshing(first two albums). His voice was warm in the eighties, but now there seems to be a cold flat sound, like a plate reverb. The same for the drums which seemed to be a drum machine. Drum machines are really cold and flat. Even the background singers were cold and overwhelming. I wanted more Jesse. This is what makes Princes music so soulful and exciting; his live creative drums, and you hear prince, not overwhelmed by female background singers. I really liked Jesse Johnson in the eighties but so far from this album, I was sort of disappointed. Just my honest humble opinion, others may differ. Still, I must give credit to his talent, this is why I gave it three stars instead of two.

This cd set is tight and on point! Love it! The entire piece flows smoothly. This is a masterpiece! The instrumental 'Merciful' is just...... can't describe it. Ya gotta hear it for yaself!