That Lonesome Song

Jamey Johnson

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 5, 2008)
• Original Release Date: August 5, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mercury Nashville
• ASIN: B0019FAKCS
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #904 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The final cut on That Lonesome Song—kind of a concept album meets musical manifesto—is titled "Between Jennings and Jones," which is where Jamey Johnson finds himself shelved in the CD racks, and also how he describes his sound. Actually, there's way more Jennings than Jones, with two cuts covered from Waylon's classic Dreaming My Dreams (the title track and "The Door Is Always Open"), another paying tribute to him by name ("The Last Cowboy") and several others borrowing liberally from his sound. Yet in terms of both concept and sound, the bare-bones intimacy of this bittersweet divorce album remind more of Willie Nelson's Phases and Stages (at least side one, the man's side), with the opening "High Cost of Living" ("ain’t nothing like the cost of living high") setting the "Bloody Mary Morning" tone, extended by the sad country waltz of "Angel" and continuing through the down-and-out epiphany of the title track. Only the comparatively lightweight novelty of "Women" indicates that this is the same guy who wrote "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" for Trace Adkins. --Don McLeese

Product Description

He could be basking in his songwriting accolades, but Jamey Johnson remains a restlessly creative maverick.

Jamey is the co-writer of the CMA and ACM 2007 Song of the Year "Give It Away," recorded by George Strait. Trace Adkins, George Jones and Joe Nichols have also recorded his songs. But instead of sitting at home counting his royalty checks, Jamey Johnson recorded more than 40 songs during the past year.

Not content with providing hits for others, the singer-songwriter has a powerful drive to sing, record and perform.

"Writing is not enough for me," says this intense artist. "I did not come here to just be a writer. I live to play....I'm not here to take a stab at it. I am going to DO it."

Following a deep period of isolation and introspection, Jamey Johnson entered the recording studio in April 2007. Within months, Jamey emerged with That Lonesome Song, a collection of extraordinary compositions that is equally noteworthy for its lyrical craftsmanship and its strikingly original sound.

The first single from the album is "In Color" and is available in the Amazon MP3 store.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE RESURRECTION OF COUNTRY!, August 6, 2008

By	Music Fan (TAYLOR, MI) - See all my reviews

Jamey Johnson proves that country can still have a soul with "That Lonesome Song". The instruments and vocals are crisp and clear giving the recording a welcome live feel. The songs are influenced by greats like Waylon, but with songwriting and originality that make them fresh and exciting. "In Color" is an expertly crafted song, one of the best in a long, long time. No cookie-cutter, manufactured songs in this bunch. I also noticed that Jamey must not be watching today's country stars because he forgot to style his hair and dress like he just jumped out of a boy band. Oh well, guess he'll just have to rely on his music!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JAMEY JOHNSON SAVES US FROM "POP COUNTRY"!!!!, August 5, 2008

By	K. Carlucci (Corpus Christi, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the real deal. If you like Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Cash, and Johnny Paycheck then this CD is for you. If you like the Nashville "puppets" like Taylor Swift and all of the other robots swallowing up todays radio then you might want to avoid this one because this is REAL COUNTRY music. There is so much pedal steel guitar on this album that I had to open up a cold beer on the first song! This CD was recorded straight through so it makes you feel like you are in the recording studio with the band. It's unfortunate that Jamey Johnson only gets about a months worth of airplay and then dissappears, but "In Color" is hanging around and the video is being played a lot on CMT, but then they play a Sugarland video and I change the channel. Well I just finished the CD and my twelve pack so excuse me while I hit repeat and open a new case of beer. This CD is too good to put away now!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The country album of the year., August 6, 2008

By	DanD - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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Jamey Johnson is a study in contrasts. This applies to his entire life, but I won't bother talking about that--just one listen to this album, you'll understand (with phrases like "the high cost of living ain't nothing like the cost of living high," Johnson is more than up-front about who he is and where he comes from). I'm talking strictly about his music. A little song he cro-wrote ("Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," maybe you've heard of it) became a huge smash hit. Same with a tune that won Song of the Year ("Give It Away"). Yet Johnson himself has flown under the radar, despite making two solid albums (three, if you count the version of THAT LONESOME SONG that was distributed solely through his website a year ago). Also, not a single one of his songs is halfway as commercially appealing as "Badonkadonk;" his songs are fiddle-and-steel outlaw tunes, strongly in the vein of Waylon Jennings.

Speaking of Waylon...Johnson channels Waylon here, in a way that is not at all exploitative, and is entirely heartfelt immitation. After all, the two songs Johnson didn't write are Waylon covers; and try listening to the title track and not think of Waylon's baritone gracing it. Johnson also owes a lot to the other greats--Kristofferson, Jones, Haggard, Cash, Coe, Paycheck, etc.--yet he's firmly his own artist. And I stress that last word--"artist." Like the afore-mentioned legends, Johnson has taken country music and transformed it into something that is--in my own humble opinion, being a budding songwriter myself, influenced by the same artists Johnson worships--almost timeless. He questions his own morality (as well as mortality, but the former is oh-so-much-more interesting, especially set to a steel guitar), he questions his beliefs, he questions everything...and fails to find many answers, as most of us do. It's tough, at times, listening to music that is so...human.

There are no cliches here. A couple tracks come close--especially "Stars in Alabama"--but Johnson knows how to reign in a tune and keep it down-to-earth. Even the beach song here, "A Place on the Ocean," is far from cliche--Johnson, sitting on the beach, sitting in a "mansion with a view,", bemoans "all that I can think about is you," going on to declare: "I hope I'm sane by the time I'm done." He sings of the pitfalls in life; he sings of the good deeds done poorly. He sings of life--as he's lived it, as others have lived it. Ladies and gentlemen, let me state it bluntly: this is REAL country music. This is no pop/radio child's play; this is the real deal, and that means there'll be some tears and a whole hell of a lot of heartache before you're through. Pick up Jamey Johnson's THAT LONESOME SONG to experience what country music was intended to be.