Johnny "Guitar" Watson and the Family Clone

AMG Review of Johnny "Guitar" Watson and the Family Clone

Steve Leggett
All Music Guide

This intriguing and bizarre album was originally released in 1981, and features Johnny "Guitar" Watson playing all the instruments and singing all the vocal parts. The end result has a surprisingly contemporary 21st century feel, and sounds a bit like Shuggie Otis' similarly lost-solo sessions from a decade earlier, mixing hard lues, jazz, soul and touches of funk into a fascinating hybrid that is remarkably fluid and light on its feet. The whole album is of a piece, but some obvious highlights include "Family Clone," "Ain't Movin'," "Voodoo What You Do," and some mind-blowing vocoder guitar on "Come Dance with Me." Not quite a great lost classic, but it comes pretty darn close. [Also released with bonus tracks.]