Lonnie Knight is not what you'd say to be a traditional blues man. I thought the music on his new CD, "Big Shoes," had an eclectic resonance which is more what I'd tend to call contemporary blues. Yet, Knight does pull from the traditional blues on his first track, "Ride The Train." He produces cool, smooth vocals, and his guitar playing is dynamic. Next he winds down with two beautiful ballads, then moves on, intermingling several more upbeat and slow tracks to wrap up his CD. Knight plays from the heart and soul. I thought each composition is unique in its own way, pulling from a variety of musical influences. Some tracks I could hear a heavy blues influence, others had a little more rock, pop, and folk persuasion. I also thought his use of metaphors in his lyrics paint the imagination vividly. A few songs I especially enjoyed on his CD, is track one (Ride The Train), track four (Love Is A Foreign Language), and track eight (You Keep Running).
Lonnie Knight is not new to the Twin Cities music scene. He began playing with Jokers Wild and City Mouse. He stepped into country music for awhile and played with Wild Horses and the Nilesen-White Band. Then eased back into his origins as the former lead guitar player for the Hoopsnakes. His musical talent and guitar playing has been touching listeners since the 1960's. In 1974 and 1975 he burned two albums for Symposium Records, "Family In The Wind," and "Song For A City Mouse." Knight has played with a variety of bands, as well as performing solo, and has won a few Minnesota Music Awards.
If you like a more contemporary blues rhythm, Lonnie Knight's new CD, "Big Shoes," is one to check out. Also Lonnie has been performing at quite a few Twin Cities venues, such as Blues West, Famous Dave's, Spanky's, Inn Kahoots, Whiskey Junction, and many others. If you want to hear him live, you can find his schedule or locate more information on how to get his new CD at his web site, www.lonnieknight.com, or email him at lk@lonnieknight.com.
This review is copyright © 1999 by Mia Barker, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.
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