RICHARD LEO JOHNSON
Fingertip Ship (Blue Note)
Rating: 5 out of 7
By Hank Bordowitz

   The untimely passing of Michael Hedges created a void among music fans of acoustic guitar virtuosos too eccentric to work with a band. With his Metro Blue debut Fingertip Ship, Richard Leo Johnson submits his resume for the position. The similarities between the two musicians are remarkable. 
   A friend once described Hedges as "that guy who thinks the guitar is a percussion instrument." Johnson certainly mines and expands on this aspect of Hedges's work. A steady stream of percussion parts flow through "Mother's Day." "Get Funked" features a drum solo, which would not be so noteworthy except that Johnson only plays two instruments--12-string guitar and six-string guitar. The percussive quality of his playing is so impressive, you have to wonder whether one of the criteria he uses for picking a guitar is how good it sounds when you smack the wood. 
   Another similarity between the late guitarist and the journeyman Johnson is you won't find a song on this recording in standard E-A-D-G-B-E tuning. Johnson treats unusual tunings as a compositional tool, as did Hedges. This allows Johnson to sound like he is playing three instruments simultaneously, with running basses, trickling chords, and triple-speed melodies along with the occasional conga part. 
   Johnson occasionally manages to freshen his approach to the point where Hedges's ghost might smile approvingly over a new twist. "Bluefield" sounds like ambient synthesizers, though on a further listen you can nearly figure out how he plays the tune on 12-string (perhaps with an e-bow?). He attacks nearly everything with extraordinary fire and ferocity. Fingertip Ship is quite the resume after all. I think Johnson has the job. He even shows signs of taking it to places his predecessor didn't.