''Release'' is the second solo album by guitarist and singer-songwriter

Damon Johnson Damon Rogers Johnson (born July 13, 1964) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, currently a solo artist and member of Thin Lizzy. In the 1990s he co-founded Brother Cane, and later joined Alice Cooper's band as lead guitarist. He w ...

, who has been a member of

Brother Cane Brother Cane is an American rock band that released three albums in the 1990s. Formed in Alabama in 1990 by singer and guitarist Damon Johnson and bassist Glenn Maxey, the line-up was completed by guitarist Roman Glick and drummer Scott Collier ...

, Slave to the System,

Whiskey Falls Whiskey Falls was an American country music group composed of Seven Williams (lead vocals, guitar), Wally Brandt (guitar, vocals) Damon Johnson (guitar, vocals), and Buck Johnson (lead vocals, mandolin, guitar, keyboards). Seven Williams and Wa ...

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

's band,

Black Star Riders Black Star Riders is a hard rock band formed in December 2012. The band began when members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy decided to record new material, but chose not to release it under the Thin Lizzy name. While Thin Lizzy continues ...

, and

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...

. Mostly acoustic, this album was recorded while Johnson was with Alice Cooper, who features on one track, a cover of "Generation Landslide" from Cooper's 1973 album ''

Billion Dollar Babies ''Billion Dollar Babies'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alice Cooper, released on February 25, 1973, by Warner Bros. Records. The album became the best selling Alice Cooper record at the time of its release, hit number one on t ...

''.

Songs and contributors

''Release'' includes Johnson's own version of "

Just Feel Better "Just Feel Better" was the second international single to be released from Santana's 2005 album '' All That I Am''. The song features lead vocals by Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, also signed to Sony Music Entertainment. The song is produced ...

", which had been recorded in 2004 by

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

with Steven Tyler on vocals. Johnson stated, "It was without a doubt an honor to have them record it. Mine is more of the original intent." The album also features "Every Day", which had been recorded in 2001 by Stevie Nicks for her album ''

Trouble in Shangri-La ''Trouble in Shangri-La'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released in 2001, it was her first new solo album since 1994's '' Street Angel''. The album debuted at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200, Nicks' h ...

''. Other tracks include "Hard Act to Follow", originally recorded by Brother Cane for their first album. Johnson's co-composers for ''Release'' include

Kelly Gray Kelly Gray (born April 7, 1981 in Palo Alto, California) is a former American soccer player. He does commentary for San Jose Earthquakes games on Comcast Sports Net Bay Area Career College Gray played forward and midfielder at the University ...

(

Queensrÿche Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...

and Slave to the System),

Milton Davis Milton Davis is an American musician, songwriter and producer from Birmingham, Alabama, who is based in the California Bay Area. He recalls being introduced to gospel music by his grandfather at the age of seven and playing and singing in gospel ...

, and ex-

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

guitarist Ricky Byrd. The album also features vocals from Johnson's daughter, Sarah Marlo Johnson, including the duet "Better Days Will Come at Last", which had previously been recorded by Whiskey Falls for their first album. She also sings lead vocal on a

Shelby Lynne Shelby Lynne (born Shelby Lynn Moorer, October 22, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter and the older sister of singer-songwriter Allison Moorer. The success of her pop rock album '' I Am Shelby Lynne'' (1999) led to her winning the Grammy ...

cover, "Where I'm From", from the album '' I Am Shelby Lynne''.Damon Johnson, ''Release'', sleeve notes.

Track listing

#"Release (Hard Rain Comin')" (

) – 4:04 #"Pontiac" (CS Brewer, Johnson) – 4:21 #"Everyday" (Johnson,

John Shanks John Matthew Shanks (born December 18, 1964) is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist. Early life and education John Matthew Shanks was born in New York City. Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17 years old. He was in a ban ...

) – 3:58 #"Dayton, Ohio" (Johnson,

) – 3:37 #"

" (Buck Johnson, Jamie Houston, Johnson) – 3:44 #"Leave It All Behind" (Johnson) – 4:41 #"Because Our Love's That Strong" (Ricky Byrd, Johnson) – 3:37 #"Better Days Will Come at Last" (Johnson) – 3:42 #"Generation Landslide" (

, Michael Bruce,

Dennis Dunaway Dennis Dunaway (born December 9, 1946, in Cottage Grove, Oregon) is an American musician, best known as the original bass guitarist for the rock band Alice Cooper (1962–1975, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021). He co-wrote some of the ...

, Neal Smith,

Glen Buxton Glen Edward Buxton (November 10, 1947 – October 19, 1997) was an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Alice Cooper. In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him number 90 on its list of the "100 Greatest Guita ...

) – 4:42 #"She's All That (And More)" (Byrd, Johnson) – 2:31 #"Satellites" (Johnson) – 4:07 #"Jolene" (

Ray LaMontagne Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: ''Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', '' God Willin' & the Creek Don ...

) – 3:57 #"Hard Act to Follow" (Johnson,

Marti Frederiksen Martin Harold "Marti" Frederiksen (born July 1, 1962) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. He writes and produces music primarily in rock, country, and pop. He is best known for his work with many artists and bands incl ...

) – 4:20 #"Where I'm From" (

Bill Bottrell William A. Bottrell (born October 27, 1952) is an American record producer and songwriter. He has collaborated with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Electric Light Orchestra and Sheryl Crow. Biography Between 1967 and 1970, Bottrell attended Cr ...

) – 4:11

Personnel

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, dobro *Sarah Marlo Johnson – vocals *

– vocals, harmonica on track 9 *Buck Johnson – backing vocals,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, string arrangements *Gene Pledger –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

*Gary McKinney – drums, programming *Produced by Damon Johnson *Mixed by

*Engineered by Gary McKinney *Recorded and mixed at Kensington Road Studios, Birmingham, Alabama, in Spring 2010 *Cover concept, art direction and photography – Stephen Jensen

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Release 2010 albums Damon Johnson albums