Latest Release
- AUG 30, 2024
- 1 Song
- That Lonesome Song · 2008
- That Lonesome Song · 2008
- That Lonesome Song · 2008
- The Dollar · 2006
- The Dollar · 2005
- That Lonesome Song · 2008
- The Guitar Song · 2010
- The Guitar Song · 2010
- The Dollar · 2006
- That Lonesome Song · 2008
Essential Albums
- It’s rare when new traditional “hat-acts” play outside the box, which is why Jamey Johnson’s fourth studio LP is a must-hear. The Guitar Song is a double concept album boasting 25 tunes. The first half is Johnson’s Black Album, where he bequeaths downtrodden honky-tonk songs. “Lonely At the Top” plays like an old saloon-serenade as Johnson lampoons those who complain about success. He turns Mel Tillis’ “Mental Revenge” into an acoustic front-porch dirge, while his own “That’s How I Don’t Love You” and “Heartache” are deeply darkened laments that make Ryan Adams’ ballads sound like Katrina & The Waves. The second half comprising Johnson’s White Album vibrates with upbeat twang-rock. It opens with the beer-joint boogie of “By the Seat of Your Pants” before the hilarious “California Riots” recalls David Allan Coe’s “Willie, Waylon And Me.” “Macon” is a lighter-hoisting, Skynyrd-esque Southern rock anthem that’s sure to get good ol’ boys taking their shirts off and yelling at Johnson’s live shows.
- Jamey Johnson's 2006 debut was defiantly old-school sounding, but he went full-on outlaw for this follow-up, with spectacular results. This album owes a spiritual debt to vintage Waylon Jennings, acknowledged by a brace of spot-on covers. But with his muscular baritone and knack for no-nonsense storytelling, Johnson crafts some new outlaw country classics of his own, whether he's unsentimentally tallying the tolls of addiction on "High Cost of Living" or lamenting a wrecked romance on the intense, smoldering ballad "Mary Go Round."
Artist Playlists
- The country singer tackles heavy topics with insight and honesty.
Appears On
More To Hear
- Megan on writing with icons. Plus, Jamey on touring with Megan.
- Dave chats with country music artist Jamey Johnson.
About Jamey Johnson
Singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson wrote several hits for Nashville heavy-hitters before stepping into the spotlight himself with a sound that walks the line between outlaw and classic country. ∙ Written when separated from his daughter while working a construction gig, his debut single, “The Dollar,” sent its namesake album to No. 20 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. ∙ He cowrote George Strait’s 2006 hit “Give It Away,” which became the legend’s 41st No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, breaking a record previously set by Conway Twitty. ∙ “In Color,” from 2008’s Platinum-certified That Lonesome Song, won Song of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association Awards. ∙ Matthew McConaughey directed the video for “Playing the Part,” from the chart-topping double LP The Guitar Song, which was listed as one of Rolling Stone’s 30 Best Albums of 2010. ∙ The Grammy-nominated 2012 release Living for a Song – A Tribute to Hank Cochran included guest turns by such artists as Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Elvis Costello.
- HOMETOWN
- Enterprise, AL, United States
- BORN
- July 14, 1975
- GENRE
- Country