Song Review – Jamey Johnson’s “What A View”

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Ever since the release of Jamey Johnson’s last original album—2010’s The Guitar Song—fans have been eagerly awaiting new music from the 2-time CMA award-winning songwriter. As one of the most prolific and beloved country songwriters of the aughts, the Jamey Johnson dry spell of going on 15 years has been a frustrating aspect for fans.

Johnson has forwarded all manner of reasons for the malaise, from publishing disputes to a head injury, but the underlying reasons are probably more a mix of things that put Johnson in a creative funk. In the meantime, he’s remade himself into a country music flamekeeper live, while also remaining somewhat active co-writing and collaborating with others.

2024 has finally seen some of the cobwebs shaken loose, and some new songs from Johnson. He’d been playing the patriotic anthem “21 Guns” in concert for a while, but finally released a studio version appropriately just ahead of Memorial Day in May. Though sometimes country music can be fairly criticized for exploiting “support the troops” sentiments, as a former Marine and unquestionable patriot, this was a good song for Johnson to release, even if its subject matter was very specific.

Then on July 26th we got a pair of new singles from Johnson. The first is called “What a View,” with the cover art featuring the view from a plane. Incidentally, during Johnson’s time off from the studio, he also obtained his pilot’s license, making for an interesting tie-in with the single. Johnson wrote the song with Dallas Davidson, Randy Houser, and Rob Hatch as well, so he had some help with it.


Along with the new original song, we also got a version of the Charlie Daniels tune “Trudy.” The song has been slowly bubbling up in popularity over the last few years as a hidden classic, with Tyler Childers using it as his ending song in concert since before the pandemic and only recently switching it out. Johnson and his large band complete with horns do an admirable job with the track.

As for “What A View,” it’s a fine song. The harmonica and steel guitar really help make the track, and though you don’t hear any steel drums or bongos, the mood is set in island time. It’s a classic love song that if you happened upon as the seventh track on the album, you would nod along to approvingly.

But does “What A View” feel like a song worth a 15 year wait? Probably not. But it also might just be the seventh song on an upcoming album that Johnson has mostly written and recorded. We’ll just have to see. It’s no “In Color” or “High Cost of Living,” but we have a habit in music—especially when a performer takes a long hiatus—of always thinking or hoping they’re return in the top form in their career when this is rarely the case. Those expectations always tend to be unfair.

It’s definitely good to see the creative juices flowing again from Johnson, and he has no need to prove anything to anyone at this point in his career. He did his time writing big hit songs for himself and others, and now just wants to keep the old songs of old greats like Charlie Daniels, Hank Cochran, Merle Haggard, and others alive as the silver sets into his beard and hair completely.

Soon Jamey Johnson will become a bonafide classic country oldtimer himself. But hopefully he still does have a few more classic to contribute in his time.

1 1/2 Guns Up (7.5/10)

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