The last time blues singer/guitarist Jonny Lang played Houston, he walked on stage, strapped on his guitar and was about to hit his first note before the audience realized he wasnยt just some kid roadie tuning up the starยs guitar. Yeah, heยs that unpretentious. And since the 28-year-old Lang has spent more than half his life sharing the stage with biggies like Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Sting, no one could blame him if he did walk around with a little guitar-god swagger.
However unaffected he is off-stage, once heยs performing, Lang is phenomenal. A monster musician playing the perfect blend of blues and rock with a healthy dose of Motown, Lang can make his guitar moan, screech, sing and growl ย often all in one song. Heยs equally a good singer. Langยs last album, Turn Around, was a departure from his usual repertoire in that it was essentially a gospel record. True, there were no hallelujahs or amens, but there was a message tucked into each song. (ยThe choices you make might be mistakes / but itยs never too late to turn around.ย) The effort won Lang a Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album.
Expect lots of tunes off Turn Around, along with ยA Quitter Never Wins,ย ยRed Lightย and his signature ยLie to Meย (the song that landed him on top of the charts when he was just 15). 9 p.m. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline. For information, call 888-402-5837 or visit www.hob.com. $30 to $85.
Fri., Feb. 27, 8 p.m., 2009
This article appears in Feb 26 โ Mar 4, 2009.