Published: June 1999
Excerpt from review of three artists

If Kropinski seems wild at times, Richard Leo Johnson's playing displays a constant sense of organized chaos. The self-proclaimed victim of too many years of playing by himself has an appetite for coaxing new sounds and rhythms from his Taylor six- and 12- strings and McCollum double-neck. The result is music featuring a groove-oriented style, a great sense of humor, and great tone similar to both Leo Kottke's and Michael Hedges'. Nevertheless, it's easy to lose the downbeat in Johnson's wacky compositions, and I found his new CD, Fingertip Ship, to be a challenge to listen to in one sitting. But taken one at a time, tunes like the funky "Glidepath" and the CD's closer, "Empitsu No Uta," on which Johnson imitates the Japanese koto, will certainly grab your ear. Melody takes a back- seat in the majority of the tunes on Fingertip Ship, but two songs meant as homages to musical giants, "Tony Bennett" and "Jaco Morocco," show Johnson's meditative side.