CMT Blog: Archive

The first time I listened to Jamey Johnson’s That Lonesome Song, it reminded me of a Waylon Jennings album. When I interviewed him, I told him this, and he said, “Well, you like Waylon Jennings, don’t you?” Yeah, I do. A lot, actually.

“For me it sounds like a country music album,” Johnson said. “Waylon was certainly an influence on me. I really loved his records. But there’s also so many other people that just had a very authentic country sound, and you really can’t find anything fresh anymore. Guys like Mel Tillis, Vern Gosdin, Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash. There are so many out there that inspired me over the years. I like the records that bring a message.”

But he doesn’t consider his own music “too country.” In fact, he doesn’t believe in that phrase.

“Sometimes if you get to far away from country music, well, it ain’t country music anymore,” he says. “That’s not to say it falls on deaf ears, but there’s nothing wrong with making country music. There is nothing wrong with that. I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, that’s too country.’ That’s just stupid, if it’s ‘too country.’ How could something be ‘too country’? That’s like saying, ‘It’s too reggae.’ That’s a form of music. It’s an art form.”

I reply that the right people never get to decide if it’s “too country,” because for some people, that’s the kind of music they love the most.

“Well, your country listeners out there, they’re not stupid,” he says. “If you say it’s too country, a lot of them go buy it just because of that. And when they listen to it they’ll let you know if it’s too bad for them or not.”

So, here’s my official endorsement: Jamey Johnson’s That Lonesome Song sounds like country music, and it’s one of my favorite country albums of the year. Check it out.