It's about time Alain Johannes stepped into the spotlight. For too long has he been content to remain hidden behind bigger names in music. Johannes has been involved as a musician and producer for bands like Queens Of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Josh Homme's Desert Sessions, Spinnerette, as well as Chris Cornell. His main band, Eleven, featured drummer Jack Irons and his wife Natasha Shneider. In 2008, Schneider passed away after a battle with cancer. Johannes' solo debut would seemingly rise out of despair he felt after the passing of his wife. Spark served not only as a tribute to Shneider but as a memory and celebration of her as well. Johannes has always been able to craft beautifully written material both musically and lyrically through his other musical outlets but this time it takes a very personal turn. Josh Homme, who owns Rekords Rekords (who is releasing the album) states: "Alain's record is the total embodiment of what the label stands for—the war against endorsing mediocrity and the uncensored attempt to take a leap off the musical cliff. Spark is a stunning examination of figuring out what you do when someone's gone, and it's utterly breathtaking." Johannes uses guitar and mandolin as his primary instruments often accompanied only by Johannes' singing and a kick drum. In the case of track "Speechless", the mandolin is the sole instrument used. It features some of the most beautiful and intricate mandolin work I have ever heard accompanied by Johannes' soulful voice. Every lyric he sings is with conviction and his range is impressive. Johannes can go from extremely high-pitched falsetto to an almost Mark Lanegan-like low grumble and then will add layer upon layer until his echoed voice is thundering and powering the music. The album has a sad tone to it in a lot of cases but will from time to time let a bit of happiness in to lighten the mood such as in upbeat celtic stompers "Gentle Ghosts" and "Endless Eyes". It is a truly beautiful ode to Natasha Shneider. To make things that much more heartfelt Johannes has stated: "I actually finished the album 25 years to the day that Natasha and I met—November 29, 2009. That was our anniversary. In many ways, I was really just trying to make a record that she would be proud of."
The album is streaming in full here: alainjohannes.heroku.com/stream.html
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