Johnson gears up with "Midnight Gasoline"
It is his first album for Warner Music Nashville and the first of his Cash Cabin Series, which is a collection of albums recorded at the famed studio in Hendersonville, Tenn., that was owned by Johnny and June Carter Cash and is now owned by their son, John Carter Cash. Johnson spent three weeks recording about 30 songs there, sleeping in his bus that was parked outside so that he could remain immersed in the creative space.
"I've always wanted to make an album there," he said. "I went in with an album in mind, where we go in and cut and cut and cut. That is when I knew we were off to the races. This is more than an album; this is a series.
"The main thing is there is a presence there," he said. "There is a spirit in the place. Maybe it was born there from Johnny and June, and maybe it was born there from the countless other artists who have come to that studio to record. But there is a spirit there and I love it. It feels like home to me."
"Midnight Gasoline," known as "Cash One," is a musical continuation of his last two solo studio albums, "That Lonesome Song," which was certified platinum for 1 million in sales, and the gold-certified 2010 album, "The Guitar Song," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Album Chart. He also released a 2012 duets project, "Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran" and a Christmas EP.
"I think the only common thread would be me," he said of the 12 songs. "There isn't an overtone or some underlying theme in the songs. They are just glimpses of my life. Some of them are just funny stories, and not all of them were written recently. In that regard, I really am kind of picking up where I left off, grabbing those few songs that were probably ready to put out back then. It's good to get those out there.
"Some of the songs are new," he said. "'What a View' is one of the first of the new ones that was written for this album. It's straight from a very personal place."
The album's first half was produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys--Wayd Battle, Jim "Moose" Brown, Tom Bukovac, T.W. Cargile, Kevin "Swine" Grant, Cowboy Eddie Long, Dave McAfee, James Mitchell and Chris Powell.
Dave Cobb, who also worked on "That Lonesome Sound" and "The Guitar Song," produced the album's second half, including "Saturday Night in New Orleans," "One More Time," "Sober," "Tired of It All," "No Time Like the Past" and "What You Answer To." 'He was brilliant, as usual," Johnson said. "I love Dave and have nothing but deep respect for him. What a classy guy and a tasteful musician, and an endless wealth of ideas."
Johnson's co-writers on this album include ERNEST, Chris Stapleton,Dallas Davidson, Ira Dean, Dale Dodson, Rob Hatch, Randy Houser, Ajay Popoff, Jeremy Popoff, James Slater and Tony Jo White. Other songs were written by Dean Dillon, Scotty Emerick, Kyle Fishman, Jeff Hyde, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo, Troy Verges and Brown.
The album also contains "21 Guns," "What a View," "Trudy" and "Sober," all of which were released during the last few months. He released "Someday When I'm Old" on Friday.
"It has been a joy to stand there and play these new songs to my fans every night on this 'What a View' tour. It reminded me of something I should have been doing the whole time: adding more to the show. But also, delivering the message. These songs all come from somewhere, and for me, they all come from a higher power.
"My job as a songwriter and singer is to take these songs that were given to me by God and deliver them to His people and do it at the best of my ability with a positive attitude and joy in my heart. Something I got from this album that I don't think I've gotten before is the ability to do that, and I appreciate it."
The track listing is:
1. "Bad Guy" (Jamey Johnson and Dale Dodson)
2. "Midnight Gasoline" (Scotty Emerick, Dean Dillon and Jeff Hyde)
3. "What a View" (Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Rob Hatch and Dallas Davidson)
4. "21 Guns" (Jamey Johnson and Jim "Moose" Brown)
5. "Someday When I'm Old" (Aimee Mayo, Chris Lindsey and Troy Verges)
6. "Trudy" featuring Randy Houser (Charlie Daniels)
7. "One More Time" (Jamey Johnson, Ernest Keith Smith and Rob Hatch)
8. "Saturday Night in New Orleans" (Jamey Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Tony Joe White)
9. "Sober" (Jamey Johnson and James Slater)
10. "I'm Tired of It All" (Dallas Davidson and Kyle Fishman)
11. "No Time Like the Past" (Jamey Johnson and Chris Stapleton)
12. "What Do You Answer To" (Jamey Johnson, Ira Dean, Ajay Popoff and Jeremy Popoff)
More news for Jamey Johnson
- 11/08/24: Johnson, Barrett, Flatland Cavalry release new sounds
- 10/02/24: Johnson signs with Warner
- 05/14/22: Johnson joins Opry
- 03/19/22: Opry invites Johnson to join; he says yes
- 01/12/21: Johnson, Houser announce Country Cadillac Tour
- 10/22/12: Jamey Johnson slates fall tour
- 10/16/12: Aldean, Johnson release new music
- 08/31/12: Johnson slates Ryman gig night of Cochran tribute disc release
CD reviews for Jamey Johnson
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