Eric Johnson's most recent release, 2005's Bloom does a nice job at showcasing the guitarists talents. The album is graced by a bunch of influences and should have something for everyone on it.

Fans of the epic guitar players like Vaughn, Hendrix, Van Halen, or G3 superstars Satriani, Vai, or Petrucci may find themselves drawn to the played-down style that Eric Johnson possesses and adds to the genre. Gracing the G3 tour on occasion himself, the Texas native would probably rank a notch lower than his counterparts but has all the grace that can be found in this style of music. Whereas most of the major guitar players tend to get excessively flashy with their soloing and instrumental work, Johnson seems to stick to harmonics and smooth tones to create an element of grace in his work. On his fourth studio release, Bloom, Johnson stays within his element, never becoming too flashy but still able to wow the listener. The title-track and album opener follows in this vein, using his personal tones to display his talents, but never showboat with them. ‘Summer Jam’ is quicker than most of the tracks on Bloom, but does a nice job showcasing Johnson’s talents with soloing. ‘My Back Pages’ marks the first appearance of vocals on the disc, and although singing isn’t the greatest of Eric Johnson’s talents, fit the guitar-dominant style well. Of all the tracks on Bloom the most 80’s influence comes out on ‘Good To Me’, a piece that often sounds like certain Satriani work; the vocal effects on the guitar don’t hurt either of these cases either. This 80’s-pop approach only makes the song infectious though, possibly one of the catchiest tracks the album produces. The disc hits a bit of a dry-spell depending on your personal preference, but with the 16 track-listing it picks back up fairly quickly. Many of the songs tend to wrap up around the 3-minute area, which for most of the instrumental work prevents a run-on that can plague instrumental guitar players. An exception to this rule is ‘From My Heart’, another vocal piece that clocks in just under 7 and a half minutes; strangely enough this track can get a little excessive at times with it’s dragging melody. Running through a range of mid-eastern influence on ‘Cruise The Nile’ to the southern feel on ‘Tribute to Jerry Reed’, Johnson seems at home on any ground. On the latter half of Bloom the album starts to fade out, getting a little weaker on some tracks despite an increase in length. Over all the record has it’s moments of beauty as well as its weak points, but if you’re a fan of instrumental guitar work, Johnson may be right for you.