Jamey Johnson is back with new music. The 49-year-old has signed with a new record label, Warner Music Nashville, and will release a brand-new project, Midnight Gasoline, on November 8. The record will be his first solo studio album in 14 years, since The Guitar Song came out in 2010.
“I think the only common thread would be me,” Johnson says of the 12-song record. “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.
“Some of the songs are new,” he adds. “’What a View’ is one of the first of the new ones that was written for this album. It’s straight from a very personal place.”
Johnson added four songs that he didn’t write on Midnight Gasoline, including “Someday When I’m Old,” which was written by Aimee Mayo, Chris Lindsey and Troy Verges. He also included a song, “Trudy,” written by Charlie Daniels, which he sings with Randy Houser.
“It has been a joy to stand there and play these new songs to my fans every night on this What a View Tour,” Johnsons ays. “It reminded me of something I should have been doing the whole time: adding more to the show. But also, delivering the message. These songs all come from somewhere, and for me, they all come from a higher power.
“My job as a songwriter and singer is to take these songs that were given to me by God and deliver them to His people and do it at the best of my ability with a positive attitude and joy in my heart,” he adds. “Something I got from this album that I don’t think I’ve gotten before is the ability to do that, and I appreciate it.”
Midnight Gasoline is Johnson’s first record on Warner Music Nashville, a dream come true for the Grand Ole Opry member.
“I’ve always wanted to make an album there,” Johnson shares. “I went in with an album in mind, here 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 main thing is there is a presence there,” he continues. “There is a spirit in the place. Maybe it was born there from Johnny and June, and maybe it was born there from the countless other artists who have come to that studio to record. But there is a spirit there and I love it. It feels like home to me.”
See a track list for Midnight Gasoline below. Pre-order the record, and find all of Johnson’s music and upcoming shows at JameyJohnson.com.
Track List for Midnight Gasoline:
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)
Photo Credit: David McClister