Eric Johnson's first official solo album, Action Figures, was written, performed and recorded at SlowBurn studio in Tucson, Arizona. Like much of Johnson's output with Black Sun Ensemble and Sun Zoom Spark, the music on Action Figures is diverse. From the epic psych - rock of the opener "Soul Retrieval" and "Barrett's Blues" to bittersweet ballads like "Night Sea Journey" and "Carry Me Away" to progressive rock instrumentals like "Orange Made World" and "The Device," the album covers a lot of sonic ground. Thematically, much of the material is about redemption and how to move on after bad things happen. On "Season of Circles," Johnson sings, "…there is only one reason there is a ghost in my home and it likes to hide itself away until I'm alone…" Delivered in a perfect power pop format, "Inside Outside" examines obsession and loss - "…all hail your luxuries, your soft demands and your mysteries, what you stole is a tragedy, so give my soul back to me…" The closer, with its Spider From Mars instrumentation, "Demonstration" seems to offer a resolution to the conflict - "…allow me to forget that field, where time's tomb is sealed, cuz its all gone and it won't come again…" Action Figures is, at times, a remarkably personal statement, with Johnson playing all of the instruments himself and consciously taking risks, both lyrically and musically, that only a solo project might allow.