REVIEWS

“Midnight With the Light On” proves once again Jon Lawton is a master songwriter. Each subtle twist of melody, chord choice, guitar lick, bass line and instrument solo reveals a sensitivity to detail that cannot be improved. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll find that each song conveys poignancy, power, heartbreak, joy, or old-fashioned cynicism — always a story worth hearing. Lawton is an original voice, an Americana artist with a bottomless reservoir of freshness and imagination.

Marty Rokeach - Professor Emeritus St. Mary’s College, composer, conductor

Jon Lawton – *Midnight with the Light On***

Jon Lawton’s *Midnight with the Light On* is a masterclass in versatility, an album that fluidly navigates between country warmth and blues-gospel grit. Recorded across two distinct sessions—one at Coyote Road Studios in Santa Barbara with engineer Sean McCue, the other at the legendary Greaseland Studio in San Jose with Kid Andersen—Lawton crafts a rich sonic tapestry that showcases his depth as a songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader.

The Santa Barbara sessions lean into a country-folk, singer/songwriter mode, with Lawton’s acoustic guitar providing the foundation for Bill Flores’ shimmering pedal steel, Jim Calire’s expressive keyboards, Dana Olsen’s electric guitar and a tight rhythm section featuring bassist Steve Nelson and drummer Austin Beede. Songs like *Let Bygones Be Bygones* and *Tall Cotton* exude an effortless Americana charm, built on easygoing grooves and evocative storytelling. There’s a laid-back, rootsy chemistry here. The band is conjuring an atmosphere of pure, honest authenticity with every note.

Then, there’s the Greaseland session—a sharp left turn into the deep, smoky world of blues and gospel. Lawton swaps his acoustic for a biting electric guitar and leads a powerhouse ensemble featuring Scott Griffin and Ronnie Smith on drums, Randy Bermudez on bass, and Chris Burns on keys. Kid Andersen’s signature touch on the organ, Doug James’ robust horn arrangements, and Aki Kumar’s wailing harmonica add layers of soul and fire to these tracks. The Sons of the Soul Survivors elevate the album’s gospel moments with stirring background vocals, providing an electrifying contrast to Lawton’s raw, emotive delivery on *Tough Luck*.

What makes *Midnight with the Light On* so compelling is the seamless way it bridges genres while maintaining a cohesive artistic vision. Lawton and his collaborators never sound forced or formulaic—both sessions radiate a natural, lived-in authenticity that can only come from seasoned musicians playing with passion and instinct. Whether basking in the warmth of pedal steel or digging into the blues with a crackling intensity, Lawton proves himself a formidable storyteller with a keen sense of feel and dynamics.

This is music that doesn’t chase trends or pander to expectations—it simply breathes, full of soul, character, and the kind of spontaneous energy that makes great records feel alive. *Midnight with the Light On* is an album that lingers, inviting you to listen again, to catch the nuances, and to appreciate the journey of an artist deeply in tune with his craft.

**★★★★½**

LITTLE JONNY AND THE GIANTS - We Got It Goin' On!

Oakland-based guitarist Jon Lawton made his initial mark in the blues world during the 1980s with the Pontiax, a brilliant but short-lived Santa Barbara, California, band fronted by Mitch Kashmar. Lawton formed Little Jonny and the Giants in 199l and recorded several little-noticed albums with them before he disbanded the group in 2009 to join Tip of the Top. The sit-down quartet broke up earlier this year after making three CDs, and Lawton re-launched the Giants, bringing with him Tip of the Top's terrific Bombay-born harmonica blower Aki Kumar.

Produced by Rick Estrin guitarist Kid Andersen, whose Greaseland Studios in San Jose has become the recording facility of choice for many Northern California blues artists, We Got It Goin' On! is Lawton's finest and most fully realized effort to date. The Chicago blues sound prominent in the Giants earlier recordings remains, but the current band also displays some stylistically related Louisiana swamp blues flavors, particularly in a winning rendition of Slim Harpo's Hey Little Lee and the Lawton compositions / Wish You Would Love Me and Stop Puttin' Me On. (Additional bayou spice is added by the keening notes frequently hit by Kumar.) Five other Lawton originals are also first rate, as are the band's treatments of tunes by Howlin' Wolf, Brook Benton, Jimmy Rogers, and Little Walter. The 14-song set ends with Aki Daki Stomp, a brief instrumental jam that features Kumar and guest pianist Bob Welch, its title cleverly combining Kumar's first name, Gatemouth Brown's Okie Dokie Stomp, and Elmore James complaint that "she won't roll her aki daki."

Lawton is a capable vocalist who really knows how to put across lyrics, and his guitar leads are clean and consistently inventive. Noted among fellow musicians as a master of the Elmore James slide guitar style, he displays it on only one tune on the present disc, No Other Man, in a chilling manner akin to that of his model. Former Mark Hummel sideman Marty Dodson, a master of the type of old-school blues drumming seldom heard these days, completes the rhythm section, along with bassist Vance Elhers.

Augmenting the band on some selections are Welch, saxophonists Doug James and Frankie Ramos, and Andersen on both organ and rhythm guitar.

- LEE HILDEBRAND

Virginny Sessions Vol. 1 is Jon Lawton's 2019 work. The guitarist, singer and songwriter from California has been part of the west-coast blues scene for a long time. This record shows a great versatility that Lawton has developed through the years. In the recording it is possible to find blues tracks, others with a more traditional "folk" kind of sound, all kept together through the voice and the unbelievably expressive skills of "Little" Johnny Lawton. The record is exclusively acoustic. We can define it as an "Old-times Roots Music" record, without feeling the need to be more specific. It is a work that shows Lawton's big love for American traditional music and a narrative approach that reaches directly to the listener without any kind of filter.

Lawton plays resonator, acoustic 6 or 12 strings guitars and banjo. The harmonica is assigned to the young Andrew Alli, one of the most promising artists of the future who has just released his first album, Hard Workin' Man; a wonderful work that shows perfectly his extraordinary skills. Big Jon Atkinson isn't only the sound engineer and producer of the cd, he also plays upright bass on the record. The fiddle is played by Frank Bronson, a very talented, young (old-time)musician from Tennessee.

The record starts with one of the more impressive tracks, Built On Sand. That is (alongside with The Orphan's Blues and Happy, Hungry, Screaming Heart) one of those tracks in which the narrative and songwriting skills of Jon Lawton are made explicit in the best way.  Looks Like It's Over and Go bring the listener into completely different atmospheres. The ambient ‘looks like…’ being less hospitable. The sonorities are more related to the southern traditional blues style. The guitar lines are hypnotic and the general sound is quite essential, but sustains perfectly Lawton's vocal interpretation.

Let Bygones Be Bygones, Goin' To California and I'm Lost, recall more ancient sonorities. The interaction between guitar, harmonica and voice retrieve clearly, and in a perfect way, to the pre-war tradition.

Virginny Sessions Vol. 1 has been recorded very well, directly to tape, without overdubs in the Big Tone Records studios in Bristol, Virginia - ‘the Birthplace of Country Music’. The record admirably takes the listener on a trip through which many different styles are lovingly displayed. With a succession of different moods that shows great artistic maturity and can not leave the listener indifferent.

Carlo Abrolutti - Musica Internationale 2020

CD Review
Jon Lawton - Midnight With The Light On McCusic Records By Steve Cagle

Veteran Bay-area guitarist/singer/songwriter Jon Lawton has been writing, recording, and touring for decades, establishing himself as a highly skilled and engaging purveyor of blues, roots, and country/folk music.

Whether playing solo, as part of a duo (Aki Kumar, Dave Earl), in a band setting (Jonny & the Giants, Tip of the Top, Jon Lawton & the Orphans) or sitting in with other artists (Sacramento favorites Red’s Blues), Jon brings style and an exceptional musical acumen to the proceedings. His latest release presents nine of his compositions accompanied by an exceptional array of first-class musicians and was recorded at Coyote Road Studio in Santa Barbara and Greaseland Studio in San Jose.

It opens with “Looks Like It’s Over,” a country blues-flavored, tongue-in-cheek breakup song featuring Jon’s combination of
lead and rhythm guitar that conjure the tone and style of Jerry Garcia. Bassist Randy Bermudez and drummer Scott Griffin keep the rhythm flowing, while The Sons of the Soul Revivers (brothers James, Dwayne and the late Walter Morgan Jr.) add a regal touch with their richly textured harmony vocals. Lyrically, a frustrated and fed-up protagonist laments to his soon-to-be-ex-other-half that “the honeymoon is through, and the train has jumped the track.”

“Tall Cotton” creates pastoral imagery in the recollection of a young boy who is in awe as he surveys the towering crops with his father on a trip to the cotton fields. When the boy grows up, he does likewise with his own son. The song is graced by the beautiful pedal steel guitar work of southern California maestro Bill Flores.

Acclaimed Bay area keyboardist/producer Chris Burns displays his mastery of the ivories on the jovial financial counseling blues song, “Money Don’t Grow On Trees,” with Jon’s six-string interludes recall- ing vintage Rolling Stones riffs and Pete Devine’s rub board adding percussive grease to the wheels.

The country ballad, “Someone’s Broken Heart,” is a sad tale of unfulfilled love, highlighted by Bill Flores’ eloquent pedal steel guitar performance and Lawton’s keenly observed lyrics (“Chances are like paper burning into smoke.”).

“Krusty” is a vintage-style blues instrumental that would fill a nightclub dance floor then and now, with a mid-tempo groove and Big Band sound courtesy of sax and trumpet maestros Doug James and Doc Chanonhouse, respectively. Lawton’s fretwork glides in and out, while Chris Burns takes a masterful turn on piano during a generous solo.

Other highlights include the reflective country gospel song, “The River,” with a soul-stirring organ performance by Greaseland propri- etor/studio wizard Chris “Kid” Andersen and the powerhouse vocal harmonies of The Sons of the Soul Revivers, and the jazzy uptown funk of “Tough Luck,” also with The Sons and featuring a sinuous sax solo courtesy of Doug James.

This album was brought to my attention soon after being released, and it quickly joined my list of “go-to” recordings that inspire frequent listens. Halfway through the year, it’s a shoo-in for my Top Ten list of 2025. Let’s hope it brings global attention to Jon Lawton and the recognition he’s deserved for a long time.