John Howard at JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe in Sarasota

Prolific songwriter and Sarasota live music scene performer John Howard was joined by Johnny LaLa on lead guitar and vocals for a night of covers and featured songs from Howard's newly-released CD, "Sunlight", which they debuted last night at JR's Old Packinghouse Cafe in Sarasota.

The new CD contains several memorable and danceable numbers, such as "She's Gone" and "Bridges are Burning". "Julianne" and "If I Could Stay Asleep" are sweet, dreamy romantic reveries. "Sunlight (Cindy's Song)" brings Howard's memories of his late sister, Cynthia, into present-focus as he notices all the natural beauty of everyday life that he wishes he could still share with her.

At last night's show, Johnny LaLa's acoustic guitar leads were impressive for their smooth progress up and down the frets. Other players tend to create a more labored, staccato sound as they bend the strings to their purposes, admittedly always more challenging on an acoustic instrument. But LaLa's style was more fluid, enhancing the overall sound of  John Howard's arrangements, rather than punching out to the foreground.

You can find John Howard's new CD, "Sunlight", online at I-Tunes, Amazon, Spotify and other outlets:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sunlight/id920644078