Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song

Artist:

Johnson, Jamey

UPC:

602527173160

Description:

Audio Mixer: T.W. Cargile.
Recording information: Big Studios, Nashville, TN; Lionsound, Los Angeles, CA; Shrimp Boat Sound, Key West, FL; The Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN.
Photographers: James Minchin III; Melinda J.P. Harlan.
When was the last time anybody in country music released a double studio album? Following up his stellar 2008 recording, That Lonesome Song, songwriter Jamey Johnson returns with the ambitious, sprawling 25-track The Guitar Song. The set`s two discs are divided into thematic halves: the Black Album concerns itself primarily with darker, more complex situations in life, love, and loss, and the White Album focuses on more redemptive themes. It`s not as simple as that, however; there is a yin-and-yang effect too, as evidenced by "Playing the Part," from the Black Album, which is an upbeat tune about surviving bad times in Hollywood. Likewise, "California Riots" is a nasty thumping outlaw number about sheer survival, but it`s on the White Album. That balance is a part of Johnson`s gift. Songs find their own way. The Guitar Song is uncompromising. Johnson`s own accomplished road band -- consisting of players symbiotically sympathetic to the material -- provides the backing, and he gives his musicians room to really play, whether it`s honky tonk Southern rock or bedroom or back-porch ballads. The sound is rougher edged than contemporary country; it comes from the Waylon Jennings/Hank Jr./David Allan Coe era. It rocks, but it also rolls. Johnson`s chameleon-like ability as a writer and singer also affords him the luxury to collaborate with many of Nashville`s current writing crop as well as veterans, all without compromising his vision as a narrative songwriter. He allows tough topics to rise from the heart and speak directly with whatever emotions they carry coming to the fore. Check the title track (with a guest appearance by Bill Anderson); the broken love songs "Heartache," "Cover Your Eyes" and "Thankful for the Rain"; the brutally lonesome "That`s How I Don`t Love You Anymore"; the Merle Haggard-influenced "Even the Skies Are Blue" and "Good Morning Sunrise" (which are the best vocal performances on the album); the front-porch reminiscence in "By the Seat of Your Pants"; the tough, soulful, gospel-influenced blues of "Macon"; and the lilting closer, "My Way to You." Likewise, his choice of covers -- including "Lonely at the Top" (a little-known Keith Whitley honky tonk tune), Mel Tillis` classic "Mental Revenge," Hank Cochran`s "Set "Em Up Joe," and Kris Kristofferson`s forlorn "For the Good Times" -- are all executed with the necessary spit, grit, and empathy, and display Johnson`s considerable talent as an interpretive singer. The arguments as to whether The Guitar Song is as good as the beloved That Lonesome Song don`t matter. What does matter is what The Guitar Song accomplishes: it makes plain the music contemporary country is trying to erase, while being a thoroughly accessible modern offering. Given its wonderfully crafted and performed material and stellar production, it is the country album of 2010. ~ Thom Jurek

Track Listing:

DISC 1: BLACK ALBUM:

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: WHITE ALBUM:

1. By the Seat of Your Pants
2. California Riots
3. Dog in the Yard
4. Guitar Song, The
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 Times Ain`t What They Used to Be
12. For the Good Times
13. My Way to You

Album Information

Release Date:

09/14/2010

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Country

Subgenre:

Contemporary Country

Label:

Mercury

Producer:

Kent Hardly Playboys

Catalog Number:

13364

Original Release Year:

2010

# of Discs:

2

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

105 : 44

Guest Artist:

Bill Anderson

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