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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Community gathers to mourn slain Seaside officer ... Work expected to begin by summer on Highway 62 bypass ... Josephine County man arrested on drug, child neglect charges ... Community gathers to mourn slain Seaside officer ... Work expected to begin by summer on Highway 62 bypass ... Josephine County man arrested on drug, child neglect charges ... MUSIC Jonny Lang at The Rogue Theater Comment By Alan Sculley Last Word Features MailTribune.com By Alan Sculley Last Word Features Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 9:00 AM By Alan Sculley Last Word Features Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 9:00 AM » Social News Jonny Lang was going to be the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. At least, that’s what many people expected when he blasted onto the national with his major-label debut album, “Lie To Me,” in 1997. Just 16 at the time, the multi-talented guitarist/singer looked like an artist who could well revitalize the blues genre and bring that music to the mainstream rock audience. But as Lang, now 35, has moved forward with his career, it’s become clear he was never going to be simply a blues or blues-rock artist. His 2013 album, “Fight For My Soul,” makes this abundantly clear. There aren’t many hints of blues, and the songs aren’t even that centered around Lang’s guitar playing. Instead, its songs span pop, rock, Motown and contemporary R&B. Lang knows he may have disappointed fans of his blues-oriented early music. And he appreciates their feelings. “I certainly know, because I look at it from my point of view, the artists that I love, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor and different folks, when I think of the stuff that I love of theirs, you know, there’s a little bit of a desire to see, this knee-jerk reaction to want to see them reproduce that stuff that I love,” he says. “So I totally get it.” The reality is Lang couldn’t have stuck to the blues and been honest — not to mention satisfied — with his music. “I guess who I am musically keeps changing because it’s like if I go into something and go, ‘OK, there are people who want more guitar solos, so let’s do more guitar solos and write the songs around that,’ it will just fail,” he says. “I just can’t do that. And what I mean by fail, I just won’t like it. I won’t be happy. So I just never really know what the album is going to turn out like. Whatever comes out at that moment is the right thing. And I’ve been really fortunate to not have, over the years, too much pressure on me creatively from labels and other folks.” Early on, there would have been plenty of reason for a record company to push Lang to stick to his blues-rock beginnings. “Lie To Me” was a platinum-selling success, and in 1998 Lang returned with another blues-rooted effort, “Wander this World,” which earned him his first Grammy nomination. After releasing those albums in quick succession, Lang went five years before releasing his third album, “Long Time Coming,” in 2003. By then, he was a changed man on several levels. Musically, “Long Time Coming” hinted that there was much more to Lang than the blues. That sound was still present, but several songs, including “Second Guessing” and “I Am,” showed that Lang had a talent for soul, Motown, funk and even pop. Perhaps the biggest changes had occurred on a personal level for Lang. During the whirlwind of his first two albums, he had gotten into drinking and drugs and was leading a life of rock 'n' roll excess. But Lang took control of his indulgences and turned his life around during the five-year gap that preceded the release of “Long Time Coming.” In 2001, he married actress Haylie Johnson, and they now have four children with a fifth on the way in May. That period also saw him kick drinking and drugs and discover Christianity. As for his music, Lang has continued to broaden his stylistic horizons. His 2006 album, “Turn Around,” added some gospel to its mix of rock and soul — and won a Grammy for best gospel album in the process. Then with 2013’s “Fight For My Soul,” he made a strong album that cast his widest stylistic net yet. There’s the funky rocking stomp of “Blew Up (The House),” the melodic and rocking R&B of “We Are the Same,” the percolating soul and R&B of “What You’re Looking For,” the sweet Motown-ish sound of “River” and delicate pop balladry on “All of a Sudden.” It looks like fans won’t have to wait five or seven years for Lang’s next album. He is in the early stages of making studio album number six. Lang has a sense of where the music may be heading. “I never really have gone into making a record trying to get it to match up to a certain preconception,” he says. “But with this one I did have in mind that, if anything, I’d maybe like it to be, I don’t know, a little bit more just guitar-centered than the last couple of records, and that might not mean more guitar solos, but maybe more based on riffs, more guitar riff-oriented. So we’ll see what happens with that.” For now, there are shows to play. He has put a few new wrinkles into his set for his 2016 shows. “We worked up, I think, five or so different songs from kind of what we were doing last season,” Lang says. “It’s still a mix of old and new stuff, but just a few different songs.” By Alan Sculley Last Word Features MailTribune.com By Alan Sculley Last Word Features Posted Feb. 11, 2016 at 9:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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