The Guitar Song. 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.
˝The album is a tale. The first part of it is a very dark and sordid story.
Everything after that is progressively more positive, reassuring and redemptive.˝
The ˝Black˝ songs include the menacing, ˝Poor Man Blues,˝ the defiant ˝Can’t Cash My Checks,˝ the sighing and bluesy ˝Even the Skies Are Blue˝ and the chilling ˝Heartache.
˝ The lighter, ˝White˝ songs are highlighted by the strongly autobiographical ˝That’s Why I Write Songs,˝ the languid ˝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.
As a lover of classic country sounds, he regularly performs oldies in his stage shows.
The Guitar Song contains ˝For the Good Times,˝, ˝Set `Em Up Joe˝ and ˝Mental Revenge˝.
˝Lonely at the Top˝ is an undiscovered Keith Whitley song.
The Guitar Song is the follow up to Johnson’s critically acclaimed 2008 record That Lonesome Song. In an exclusive interview with Billboard Magazine, Johnson talked about the new release, saying ˝it’s been really fun for me.
The past several times we’ve been in the studio is just...it stays fresh, it stays new and we’re always looking for innovative ways to bring our songs to the people.˝
Spin Magazine named The Guitar Song in its ˝25 Fall Albums That Matter Most˝ special, saying ˝Johnson likes country from the old school (or at least the mythologized ˝old school˝), when outlaw songs met with moody ballads and swirled into something like rootsy American bedrocki
Additional musicians
Brian Allen - Bass
Wayd Battle - Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Jim ˝Moose˝ Brown - Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Soloist, Synthesizer
Melanie Cannon - Background Vocals
Dave Cobb - Electric Guitar, Producer
Jason Cope - Guitar, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Soloist
Kacey Coppola - Background Vocals
Kate Coppola - Background Vocals
Mark Crum - Bass
Eric Darken - Percussion
Keith Gattis - Electric Guitar
Kevin Grantt - Bass, Tic Tac
Randy Houser - Background Vocals
Jamey Johnson - Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Mike Kennedy - Drums
Cowboy Eddie Long - Dobro, Steel Guitar
Fred Mandel - Piano
Dave McAfee - Drums
Mac McAnally - Acoustic Guitar
Chris Powell - Drums
Rivers Rutherford - Acoustic Guitar
Michael Spriggs - Acoustic Guitar
John Henry Trinko - Piano
Curtis Wright -Background Vocals