Jamey Johnson’s new double album, The Guitar Song, is in stores now. Check out the video as Jamey discusses making the album and the songs that can be summed up in three words: TRUE COUNTRY MUSIC.
The Guitar Song. It is a 25-song, double album with thematically linked sets of songs dubbed the “Black Album” and the “White Album.”
“The original idea was always to do a double album,” says Jamey. “It is an album that is a tale. The first part of it is a very dark and sordid story. And then everything after that is progressively more positive, reassuring and redemptive.”
The “Black” songs include the menacing, partly spoken “Poor Man Blues,” the intensely defiant “Can’t Cash My Checks,” the sighing and bluesy “Even the Skies Are Blue” and the chillingly aggressive “Heartache.” The lighter, “White” songs are highlighted by the strongly autobiographical “That’s Why I Write Songs,” the languidly relaxing “Front Porch Swing Afternoon,” the rocking “Good Times Ain’t What They Used to Be” and the easy-going groove tune “Macon.”
The ambitious project’s textures are many and varied. “Baby Don’t Cry” is a lullaby. “I Remember You” is a gospel song. “That’s How I Don’t Love You” is a deeply sad power ballad. “By the Seat of Your Pants” tells of life’s lessons. The title tune, “The Guitar Song,” is told from the point of view of two forgotten guitars hanging on a pawn shop wall. “Playing the Part” and “California Riots” come from feeling out of place as a country boy in Hollywood.
Jamey Johnson is a lover of classic country sounds, and he regularly performs oldies in his stage shows. The Guitar Song contains his versions of Kris Kristofferson’s “For the Good Times,” Vern Gosdin’s “Set ‘Em Up Joe” and Mel Tillis’s “Mental Revenge.” “Lonely at the Top” is a previously undiscovered gem co-written by the late Keith Whitley.
“Picking the songs for it was easy,” says Jamey. “They pretty much picked themselves. We just had to decide which album each one went on and at which point on the record should each one occur. Once we decided where each fit, it was a done deal.
Check out these rave reviews for Jamey Johnsons’ The Guitar Song:
“Jamey Johnson’s The Guitar Song is as ambitious in its intentions and successful in its execution as country music has seen in decades, able to hold its own with albums conceived as such by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.”
—- The Wall Street Journal
“There’s dark country, and then there’s Jamey Johnson, who has a weathered voice and an even more weathered attitude. The Guitar Song, his new two-disc set, continues the improbable run that produced his 2008 masterpiece That Lonesome Song.”
—- The New York Times
“What is immediately evident is that this is a phenomenal collection of country music.”
—- The Boston Globe
“Hardscrabble country baritone Johnson ups the ante in the heir-to-Merle Haggard sweepstakes.”
—- The Philadelphia Inquirer“The Guitar Song ranks as one of 2010’s strongest releases, in any genre, and delivers a desperately needed shot in the arm to the too-often glib world of country music. This is what baring your soul sounds like.”
—- Fort Worth Star Telegram
”… I’m just a guitar in a pawnshop on the corner. Hey come on by and listen to my songs…”
Jamey Johnson The Guitar Song track listing:
Disc: 1
1. Lonely At The Top
2. Cover Your Eyes
3. Poor Man Blues
4. Set `Em Up Joe
5. Playing The Part
6. Baby Don’t Cry
7. Heaven Bound
8. Can’t Cash My Checks
9. That’s How I Don’t Love You
10. Heartache
11. Mental Revenge
12. Even The Skies Are Blue
Disc: 2
1. By The Seat Of Your Pants
2. California Riots
3. Dog In The Yard
4. The Guitar Song (Featuring Bill Anderson)
5. That’s Why I Write Songs
6. Macon
7. Thankful For The Rain
8. Good Morning Sunrise
9. Front Porch Swing Afternoon
10. I Remember You
11. Good Time Ain’t What They Used To Be
12. For The Good Times
13. My Way To You
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