Bloom is Eric Johnson's fifth studio release, released in June 2005. It was the first studio release since his 1996 album Venus Isle almost nine years prior. However in these nine years he had released a live album by his side-project Alien Love Child entitled Live and Beyond in 2000 as well as an album of previously unreleased material titled Souvenir in 2002. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006 under the category of Best Pop Instrumental Album. Special guests include Grammy Award-winning vocalist Shawn Colvin and guitarist Adrian Legg.

Texas guitar prodigy Eric Johnson returns to recording after a near-decade absence with a lush, typically restrained collection that eschews flash for fluid cool. Arranging the album's 16 songs into a musical triptych whose sections are labeled "Prelude," "Courante" and "Allemande," Johnson aims at creating a landscape of shifting moods that's as subtle as it is mature. The guitarist's trademark lyrical style is immediately showcased on the title track, "Summer Jam" and the stately fallen astronaut tribute, "Columbia." The first section is also energized by the funked-up "Good to Me," before Johnson turns to fare that's variously more impressionistic (the instrumental "Sea Secret"), conscience-driven (the pop-savvy ballad "Sad Legacy") and smooth-groove, r&b sultry ("From My Heart"). The infectious finger-pickin' "Tribute to Jerry Reed" segues into a final act that includes the romance of "Your Sweet Eyes" (with guest Shawn Colvin adding her distinctive harmonies), "Hesistant"'s tasteful Wes Montgomery-isms and the 70's charged, acid-jazz of "Magnetized." His fusion-lite cover of Dylan's "My Back Pages" and saccharine "Sunnaround You" withstanding, it's another fine tribute to Johnson's tasteful, often introspective muse.

It's no secret that the time gap between albums by guitarist Eric Johnson is on par with such notorious 'hibernators' as Boston. And the arrival of his fourth all-new studio release, Bloom, was no different, as it appeared nearly nine years after the release of 1996's Venus Isle. Whereas most guitar heroes of the late '80s and early '90s were all about reeling off a zillion notes per second, Johnson was the exception, as he penned songs that saw his guitar supplying the melody where a voice could have been. This 16-track release (his second for Steve Vai's Favored Nations label) is split into three separate sections - 'Prelude,' 'Courante,' and 'Allemande' - which are supposedly "grouped together in terms of vibe and style." Highlights include "Summer Jam" (which does a splendid job of showcasing his guitar tone), the chicken'-pickin' ditty "Tribute to Jerry Reed," and the almost Steely Dan-esque "Magnetized." If you like your sounds raw and gritty and music off-the-cuff, Bloom isn't the place for you. But for die-hard fans, Johnson delivers once more, as all his trademarks are well represented - chops, tone, and extremely fluid playing.

Tracklist:

Prelude:

01. Bloom (03:10)
02. Summer Jam (02:11)
03. My Back Pages (03:47)
04. Good To Me (04:31)
05. Columbia (02:22)
06. 12 to 12 Vibe (02:21)

Courante:

07. Sea Secret (01:57)
08. Sad Legacy (04:06)
09. From My Heart (07:27)
10. Cruise The Nile (02:13)
11. Tribute To Jerry Reed (02:27)
12. Your Sweet Eyes (06:08)

Allemande:

13. Hesitant (06:28)
14. Sunnaround You (03:07)
15. Magnetized (03:21)
16. Ciel (03:26)