Johnny Bragg: “Let Me Dream On” (2024) Vinyl Review

This year I just couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed early enough to stand in line outside the record store on Black Friday, even though the list of releases for that day was pretty damn fantastic. But I still managed to get a few gems. One of the records I was particularly excited about was Johnny Bragg’s Let Me Dream On. If you’re not familiar with Johnny Bragg, he was the leader of the band The Prisonaires, which in 1953 had a hit with “Just Walkin’ In The Rain,” released on Sun Records and featuring Johnny’s gorgeous vocal work (Johnnie Ray had an even bigger hit with it a few years later). The band’s name, by the way, was because its members were all incarcerated. Johnny Bragg had been in prison in Tennessee since the mid-1940s, when he was a teenager. He had always insisted on his innocence, and his sentence was commuted in 1959 (though he’d soon be back in prison for violating parole). Several other recordings were made by Johnny Bragg, including many that were never released. That is, until a few weeks ago when Let Me Dream On came out. The record contains fifteen of the tracks from tapes that had been stored in a shed for decades, tapes that included rehearsals, alternate versions of songs, and live recordings. Most of the songs included here were written or co-written by Johnny Bragg.

Side A

“Sometimes I’m lonely, sometimes I’m blue,” Johnny Bragg sings at the beginning of “Take Away The Heartache (Let Me Love Again),” the album’s first track. Oh yes, we all have those moments. And we need to have that one special person to call out to in those times. And then Johnny Bragg pleads, “Take away the heartache/Kiss away the pain/Make my life worth living/And let me love again.” Then one letter is changed, and he sings, “Let me live again,” a line delivered almost as an afterthought that first time. He turns in a beautiful, moving performance. How was this left unreleased for so long? “Take Away The Heartache (Let Me Love Again)” is followed by “She’s Mine,” a fun, lighter number, a love song that begins with some advice: “Gather around, fellas, let me tell you a thing or two/Get you a girl who will be true to you.” He then describes that special woman, who, as he admits, is a plain woman. “Believe me, fellas, that’s where it’s at.”

“Is It True, Darling’?” finds him asking his woman if another man has taken his place, if the rumors are true. “If I did something so wrong/Please forgive me, forgive me/If I did something so wrong/I beg you to forgive me, darling.” Hearing that earnest, passionate vocal delivery, I can’t imagine any woman would deny him that forgiveness he sought. But he still has trouble believing that she would move on, and at the end is asking, “Is it true, darling, is it true?/I got to know, I got to know/Is it true, is it true, is it really true?” That’s followed by “I’ll Never Forget You.” He announces the song’s title at the beginning, and his vocal performance is supported by nice work on piano and bass. “With all of my heart, I believe we will meet again/And when we do, this is what I recommend/Let’s love one another.” Then “I Saw It Coming” is a track that seems like a rehearsal, the lyrics delivered a cappella as he keeps time with some tapping, some snapping. “I made a big mistake, and I know I got to pay/You know how the story goes when you’re poor/But if I ever get on my feet again/I will think twice next time who’s my friend.” And he offers this warning: “What happened to me, it could happen to you.” It’s a powerful track.

“Baby, if this is but a dream/I’m satisfied with dreaming,” Johnny Bragg sings at the beginning of “If This Is A Dream (Let Me Dream On),” this one also delivered a cappella. And what a moving performance! This is one of the best of the record. He sings, “If this is a dream, I pray it lasts forever,” then “If this is a dream, please let me dream on,” which is the song’s final line and gives this collection its title. That song is followed by “It Isn’t Right,” his vocals supported by cool work on organ, giving the song a certain energy. But it is still his great vocal performance that drives the song. “Oh my darling, you know I’ve been true/And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do/If I knew it would bring you back to me.” I believe him. And listen to the way he delivers that last line, “I would cry, but I don’t have any more tears.” The first side then ends with a delicious rock and roll number, “Rock It, Shake It,” which features some nice work on keys. “It’s even got the old folks on their feet.” Hey, am I old now? Oldish, I suppose. “All I want to do is to rock all day,” Johnny Bragg sings in the second half. Me too. After a short nap, of course.

Side B

The second side opens with “Hurt And Lonely,” a song that was written by Johnny Bragg and Dorothy Wade, and one which Johnny Bragg would release as a single. Some cool guitar work gets this one going, and as with the first song on the other side, this one uses the word “lonely” in its first line: “I was hurt, hurt and lonely/When my friend took my love from me.” This is a slow, beautiful number with a heartfelt, passionate vocal performance. And that performance makes this one of the album’s best tracks. That’s followed by “I’ve Got To Stop Trying.” The vocal work here is also outstanding. “If I’m with someone new/My heart is still with you/I can’t pretend I’m gay/I just don’t feel that way/I’ve got to stop trying/To find someone new/I’ve got to start finding/My way back to you.” This is so pretty, so sweet, and is another of my favorites. Then “It’s Been A Beautiful World (Since I Found You)” features some really good guitar work. “Once my life was so lonely, sad and blue/And heaven only knows, dear, what I went through.”

Johnny Bragg starts rocking again with “Let’s Rock, Let’s Roll,” a song he wrote with Leon Luallen. This one contains some fun stuff on keys. It’s the sort of song you expect from Little Richard. Seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he covered it at some point. There is a great energy, like a party you feel the has been going on for a while, and will go on for a great while longer. “Let’s bop, let’s flip, let’s flop, let’s walk, let’s stroll, let’s sing.” That’s followed by “If It’s Over.” Here he sings, “If it’s over, tell me so/I can’t hold you if you want to go.” This might be the album’s best and most moving vocal performance, and that’s saying something. His vocals are supported by good stuff on keys. We wonder if maybe he’s fooling himself when he sings, “Someday things I know will change/Darlin’, you’ll come back and be mine again.” And at the end, he says he’ll wait for her. Sweet, but sad. This track is another of the record’s highlights.

This record contains a live recording of “You Know It Ain’t Right,” a song written by Deadric Malone (Don Robey), and recorded by Joe Hinton (and several other artists). There is the feeling of a party as this version by Johnny Bragg begins, and the song emerges from that atmosphere. You might find yourself clapping along and echoing “Know it ain’t right” (or, “No, it ain’t right”?). This is a totally enjoyable track. The record ends with another cover, “How Great Thou Art.” Johnny Bragg delivers it in his own special way, taking a more intimate approach, giving an honest performance. It then builds from there, becoming powerful.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Take Away The Heartache (Let Me Love Again)
2. She’s Mine
3. Is it True, Darlin’?
4. I’ll Never Forget You
5. I Saw It Coming
6. If This Is A Dream (Let Me Dream On)
7. It Isn’t Right
8. Rock It, Shake It

Side B

1. Hurt And Lonely
2. I’ve Got To Stop Trying
3. It’s Been A Beautiful World (Since I Found You)
4. Let’s Rock, Let’s Roll
5. If It’s Over
6. You Know It Ain’t Right
7. How Great Thou Art

Let Me Dream On was released on November 29, 2024 through Org Music.