The Late Jamey Johnson

I am REAL late on this one. I didn't get reminded to check this out until I kept seeing it turn up on year end lists, but Jamey Johnson's That Lonesome Song should retrospectively make my Best of 08 list. ALTHOUGH the true mavens, like at The 9531, excluded it from 08 since it was actually self released digitally in 07 -- but then got picked up by Mercury and put out with all the trimmings last year. It qualifies for Grammys this year so I'll go with that and the rest of the world.

There are two instant classics on it for mine, "In Color" and most especially "The High Cost of Living." I think "Between Jennings and Jones" tries a little hard but is a good addition to the pomo self-ref country hagiography cannon, and the rest of the songs are extremely solid.

"The High Cost of Living" -- one of my faves of the year -- is a genre piece in its chronicle-from-jail of debauchery and a wasted life, with the modern twist of being six minutes long and blaming 8 balls instead of Jose Cuervo. I believe all this is autobiographical but I won't go into the gossip. Do we look like TMZ?

"In Color" is a more country radio friendly song mining/milking the traditional themes of nostalgia and the honourable lives of old folks. But it's a good 'un.

Of course if I'd known beforehand he had a hand in "Honkytonk Badonkadonk" or whatever it's called I would've shied away. Lucky I didn't!