Jamey Johnson Readies 1st Album of New Music in 14 Years
Cross Canadian Ragweed and Oasis have reunited, and Jamey Johnson has announced his first new original album in 14 years. In fact, Johnson hasn’t just promised a new album, but a series of them to be released over the coming years. The music Gods are smiling down upon us ladies and gentlemen, and things we though might never happen are transpiring in front of our very eyes.
Rumblings of a new album from Johnson have been swirling around the recent release of numerous singles, including the song “21 Guns” in May, “What a View” and his cover of “Trudy” by Charlie Daniels in July, and “Sober” released in late August (read review). Earlier this week, it was announced that Johnson has signed with Warner Music Nashville, and that’s when we knew for sure something bigger was on the way.
Announced on Friday (10-4), Jamey Johnson will release the 12-song Midnight Gasoline on November 8th—the first new original album from Johnson since 2010’s The Guitar Song. Officially, it will be called Cash One, Midnight Gasoline, and be part of a series of albums recorded over three weeks at the Cash Cabin Studios in Hendersonville, TN. Johnson spent the time living in his tour bus at the studio, and cut some 30 songs total.
“I’ve always wanted to make an album there,” Johnson said of The Cash Cabin, caretaken by John Carter Cash. “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 first half of the album was produced and performed on by elements of Johnson’s touring band and others, namely Wayd Battle, Tom Bukovac, T.W. Cargile, Kevin “Swine” Grant, “Cowboy” Eddie Long, Dave McAfee, James Mitchell, Chris Powell, along with the legendary Jim “Moose” Brown. The 2nd half of the album was produced by Dave Cobb who worked with Johnson on his previous albums.
In conjunction with the album announcement, Jamey Johnson has released yet another new song called “Someday When I’m Old” (listen below).
“I think the only common thread would be me,” Johnson says of the new album. “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.“
Johnson says that “What a View” was one of the first songs he specifically wrote for this album, and some of the songs he wrote or co-wrote many years back. Multiple songs on the album also do not include Johnson in the writing credits, while Chris Stapleton appears in the credit a couple of times, as does Dallas Davidson. Other notable contributors include Tony Joe White, Dean Dillon, Ernest, and Randy Houser, who also appears with Johnson on the track “Trudy.”
It’s been a long time coming, but Jamey Johnson is trying to make up for lost time by finally coming forward with new music at a time when country fans are seeing out more country-sounding songs. It’s just another example of why you should never say never.
Midnight Gasoline is now available for pre-order.
Track Listing:
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)
October 4, 2024 @ 6:01 pm
I got something in the mail promoting the album. A poster with a bar code on the back. Uhhh I did not order it. Did I sign up for the Janey Johnson fan club twenty years ago? He’s great. I’m happy to get it but I can’t decide if this is just great guerrilla marketing or magic.
October 4, 2024 @ 6:08 pm
There isn’t a better singer living today in this genre than JJ. And these songs, man……
October 4, 2024 @ 6:15 pm
Jamey Johnson also joined TikTok and he’s hilarious.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:25 pm
He’s hilarious in concert too.
Might have had a tiny moment of sass with him a couple years ago.
In my defense, was perfectly behaved for an hour and 5 minutes. Then the people seated in our area got things wound up.
October 5, 2024 @ 5:17 am
I think the last time I saw Jamey Johnson in concert was twice in 2017 (Willie’s 4th of July and Farm Aid) both times he performed with Alison Krauss (who he was enamored with) so he was on his best behavior.
Farm Aid the year prior in 2016 (short day set).Then way back in 2009 was my only full on band headlining experience. I might be missing another show around 2009.
None of those shows displayed his ornery, funny side. Maybe that’s new with this new peace he’s found? He has a TikTok video about recieving a mailer (junk mail) with a picture of Lainey Wilson on it that’s hilarious.
Johnson was just here this past summer and I stupidly passed on seeing him. I’ll catch him next time around.
October 5, 2024 @ 2:56 pm
Was a Jamey Johnson, and Randy Hauser show. 1 April 2022.
Acoustic show only. No band. Was fantastic!
Maybe because it was such a stripped down show at a 2K venue, it felt more relaxed.
We’re pretty spirited in this area. We can only behave for so long.
: D Felt like behaving for 65 minutes was a personal best.
Cool that you have seen him several times.
October 5, 2024 @ 5:19 pm
I still want to go to a concert with you Di! Although you better start being nicer to Trig. It was a real rough year for me. I had to eat Healing Appalachia tickets because I had emergency alveoloplasty surgery (remove extra bones from my jaw) that Monday. Everyone who had ever called me a bonehead was medically correct.
A severe drought affected my business and Brian lost his job in the spring.
So in 2025, let’s meet up at a Jamey Johnson concert!
October 5, 2024 @ 5:52 pm
Oh man, that sounds too good!
We don’t have to totally behave, do we? And, this is going to be like attending a concert with your Abuela.
J.J. 2025!
The last date am currently seeing for Jamey is around 16 November 2024.
Am sure we will both be keeping a sharp eye out.
Glad your surgery is behind you.
Sorry to hear that Brian lost his job.
You have had some serious challenges with the weather affecting your landscaping business.
Life’s challenges are just too fun sometimes, aren’t they?
: D And, don’t you worry about Trig. He knows i love him.
(Besides, who’s he going to call dumbass when we start dog piling on him?)
October 5, 2024 @ 4:39 pm
I got 1 ALSO, after goin just a FEW weeks ago to see him in Chattanooga(unforgettable & amazin’ ‘sperience 2 say d least, AWSUM)?!
October 8, 2024 @ 4:24 pm
Hop, how are you doing after your surgery?
Sorry took so long to ask.
Buried a dear family friend today. Beautiful service.
Glad it is behind us.
Skidded in 30 seconds before the service – was made to sit with the family.
I hate funerals.
Sincerely hoping that your surgery went well.
October 4, 2024 @ 6:16 pm
“Someday When I’m Old” was done by Easton Corbin on his first album. Jamey has already been doing it in his live show.
October 4, 2024 @ 6:40 pm
Easton Corbin had a version of Someday When I’m Old on his debut album. Looking forward to new music from Jamey!
October 4, 2024 @ 7:51 pm
I have a demo of it from ’04 and besides the age in his voice and lack of fiddle, it sounds as good as the new version he just put out.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:00 pm
So awesome hearing new music from him and even better all the albums coming. I know it’s a long shot, but I hoping the song he use to at shows I think he wrote with bill Anderson “nothing was better then you” makes it on to an album. He did several of these songs in Chattanooga last month with ‘one more time” being a stand out. I got the new ones he did in video to listen to in the meantime.
October 6, 2024 @ 5:19 pm
It’s a heck of a song, hope it’s on there as well.
October 8, 2024 @ 6:01 am
There’s a toy designer artist guy who runs the Jamey Johnson reddit who has an absolute ton of jamey demo’s. Theyre apparently from some songwriting session site thats no longer active. He’s got 100+. including an acoustic copy of nothing was better than you!
https://www.reddit.com/r/JameyJohnson/comments/1f1pnnf/comment/lk10oaa/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I traded him some old live hank jr show recordings for some of the demo albums he’s compiled of jamey. Incredible stuff.
He’s also got a youtube channel with two unreleased tracks on it too;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FnmTqXYMJs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lQYDaQBLfM
October 8, 2024 @ 7:03 am
Is Jamey okay with you folks posting his unreleased demos on the internet? Normally I don’t make a big deal about this, but if you’re trading in “100+,” this is a fair question to ask. It also continues to boggle my mind why some fans want to ruin the experience of hearing a new song for the first time in finished studio form as opposed to ruining the experience by getting accustomed to inferior takes so when the album arrives, it feels deflating.
October 8, 2024 @ 7:18 am
The songwriting session site had them all available for download, prior to its disbanding and the fella doesn’t take cash or anything, just occasional trades. So I didnt know there was ann issue with it. But if the comments problematic, feel free to delete what I wrote. My apologies.
October 4, 2024 @ 7:16 pm
Guess that post a year or so ago about new music was indeed true…. Great news from my perspective.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:04 pm
Awesome song. Unless some others i never heard it so its new to me. I wasnt sure he would ever come close to his best song again but im happy to be proven wrong. Lookung forward to more.
October 4, 2024 @ 8:45 pm
He’s did a great live version of “Saturday Night in New Orleans” with Farmaid back during COVID. Pretty cool bluesy song. Jamey has one of the greatest country voices of all time in my humble opinion, and he is the main reason I that I listen to the kind of country we all come to this website for.
Also it was always clear he had a sense of humor, but it’s surprised and amused me how heavy he’s got into the online marketing for this new album and tour. Also the album cover looks really neat.
October 7, 2024 @ 5:42 pm
I wear out that version on YouTube. I’m sure it will incorporate the whole band and will be great but the solo acoustic he does on farm aid just feels perfect. Can’t wait to finally have a real version.
October 4, 2024 @ 11:13 pm
It’s probably worth mentioning that the Popoff brothers from Lit of My Own Worst Enemy fame are among the writers of the final track. Jeremy also co-wrote a song on That Lonesome and was married by Jamey.
October 5, 2024 @ 3:37 pm
I thought I recognized those names. Lit had some bangers for sure. This should be interesting.
October 5, 2024 @ 6:01 am
Can’t wait for this. Long overdue.
October 5, 2024 @ 6:17 pm
Warner Music Nashville seems to be the go to label for both traditional artists and keeping creative control to the artists. Cody Johnson, Randall King, and now Jamey Johnson have all partnered with Warner. Not to mention still being the home of Randy Travis
October 6, 2024 @ 5:18 pm
Saw him twice this year. His voice as strong as ever. A little strange with Cowboy not on steel, but band was great. He has less of the horns with only 3 and much more subdued, so his vocal is extremely clear. Much more like the “old days” when lonesome song and guitar song came out. Heard Jamey got married and he seems truly happy and at peace. His vocal is great and the new songs are great. I was unaware of multiple albums. This is exciting news. From a national touring standpoint, not sure anyone is carrying the torch for traditional country music the way Jamey is.