Grim stuff from Jamey but I think a valuable perspective.
Tag: Jamey Johnson
31JAN2023 – Country Song for the Morning
Jamey Johnson has a very distinctive vocal sound and he writes his own songs so I usually enjoy his stuff.
26JAN2023 – A Country Song for the Morning
A great song. Evokes a simpler time, a better time.
Hell or High Water – A Movie Review
Hell or High Water is a movie about two brothers in West Texas, Toby and Tanner (played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster), that plan and carry out a bank robbing spree. Jeff Bridges is Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton who along with his partner Alberto are investigating this carefully planned series of robberies. The movie follows both sides of the story. We get into the heads of all four protagonists and understand their motivations and idiosyncrasies. I won’t spoil the plot details or the ending but I would say this is one of the better movies I’ve seen in a few years. It’s not a big movie and there is nothing very surprising about plot or character. But the acting is good and the plot and dialog are spot on. Another aspect of the movie that I really enjoyed was the soundtrack. Unsurprisingly it’s country music and it even includes a track by Colter Wall, a young country singer songwriter that I enjoy. But all the cuts fit into the action and enhance the movie for me.
The movie gives you both points of view. The law enforcement officers, intent on stopping the crime spree and the outlaw brothers in their desperate attempt to get even with a system that they see as rigged against them.
I highly recommend this film.
That Lonesome Song by Jamey Johnson – A Country Music Review
I only first heard of Jamey Johnson when he had his most commercial song on the Billboards back in 2008, “In Color.” I enjoyed that song and because at the time all my music was coming off the top 40 country radio stations I never heard anything else by him. By 2010 I was starting to look for better stuff than the radio provided so I bought his album “That Lonesome Song” (and a couple of his other albums) to see what he was all about. What I found out is he is a very good song writer and has an interesting singing voice.
Most of his songs are about the darker side of life and love. His characters are men suffering through loneliness, disfunction, addiction and loss. Even the couple of comical songs are about broken relationships. “In Color” is the exception. Although the song chronicles the fearful existence through the Great Depression and WW II it ends on a very high note. But there are several songs on the album that even though full of sadness and regret are undoubtedly very good. I’m sure in a group of songs this varied, there will be one or two that don’t click for every listener and that list will vary due to the variety in listeners. But my opinion is that this is an excellent country album. My favorites are
- “High Cost of Living”
- “Place Out on the Ocean
- “In Color”
- “The Last Cowboy”
- “Dreaming My Dreams”
- “Between Jennings and Jones”
I will also qualify my recommendation of this album by saying that if someone doesn’t like sad songs then this album won’t be for him. Not every song is sad but this is definitely an album from the less sunny side of the street.