Live and Beyond

Live and Beyond, captured at Austin's famed Antone's blues club, finds quietly persuasive guitar hero Eric Johnson and his two-man band, Alien Love Child, at the peak of their powers. While the blues-based, primarily instrumental material will find favor mainly with guitar worshippers, several cuts are more than mere showcases for Johnson's groove-laden, flavorful yet delicate playing, and the band's tight, fluid jams. "Once a Part of Me," with Malford Milligan of Storyville joining in on vocals, is slow, sensual, and Clapton-esque, while the standout "Boogie King," a tribute to John Lee Hooker, is aggressively progressive. Johnson's strengths do not lie in his vocals and lyrics; ultimately, it's songs like the effortless, Hendrix-like "Elevator Sky Movie," where Johnson reaches his impressive apogee. --Katherine Turman