Country Finally Rocks!

I've never been a big fan of country music aside from the old greats like Johnny, Willie, Waylon and Merle. The Highwaymen (Cash, Nelson, Jennings and Kristopherson) was a band to only which The Traveling Wilburys can come close to touching as far as "supergroups" go. Johnny Cash still seems to put out relevant music late in his career and post-mortem. And T Bone Burnett has put country music back into popular culture with the likes of the 'O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' 'Raising Sand' and the 'Crazy Heart' soundtrack. But only recently has there been a legitimate, pure country album release that's worth a damn.



Jamey Johnson's "The Guitar Song" was released on Mercury records and has single-handily gotten me interested in mainstream country. This guy solidifies 'outlaw' country to which Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings were associated with in the 1970s. Packed as a double album, 'The Guitar Song' encapsulates what ol' school country is all about. With songs such as 'Poor Man's Blues', 'Mental Revenge' and 'Good Times Ain't What They Used To Be', Mr. Johnson seems to be channeling those Nashville legends. The album is split into a 'Black Album', which deals with themes such as alcohol overindulgence and love lost, and a 'White Album', which has a more upbeat, honky-tonk vibe. Songs such as 'California Riots' and 'By The Seat Of Your Pants' have long jam sessions that would have made Ronnie Van Zant proud. The album is also packed with enough lap pedal guitar, keyboards and tinges of soul music that even a cavalier fan of country music (such as myself) would find intriguing and classic. Twenty-five songs deep, surprisingly, this guy doesn't miss a beat. GAC and CMT take note. I'd go to the Grand Ol' Opry to see this outlaw in a heartbeat.