Award-winning singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson will release his new album, Midnight Gasoline, on Nov. 8, marking his sixth album and first new solo studio album in 14 years, making it among the most-anticipated releases of the last decade.
It is his first album for Warner Music Nashville and the first of his Cash Cabin Series, which is a collection of albums recorded at the famed studio in Hendersonville, TN, that was owned by Johnny and June Carter Cash and is now owned by their son, John Carter Cash. Johnson spent three weeks recording about 30 songs there, sleeping in his bus that was parked outside so that he could remain immersed in the creative space.
“I’ve always wanted to make an album there,” he says. “I went in with an album in mind, where 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 says. “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.”
Midnight Gasoline, known as Cash One, is a musical continuation of his last two solo studio albums, That Lonesome Song, which was certified platinum for 1 million in sales, and the gold-certified 2010 album, The Guitar Song, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Album Chart. Rolling Stone and Spin named The Guitar Song to their all-genre Top 5 Best Albums of the Year. (He also released a 2012 duets project, the GRAMMY-nominated Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran, and a Christmas EP.)
“I think the only common thread would be me,” he says of the 12 songs. “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 says. “’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.”
Midnight Gasoline is a tribute to collaboration and a testament to the importance of Johnson’s friends. The album’s first half was produced by The Kent Hardly Playboys–Wayd Battle, Jim “Moose” Brown, Tom Bukovac, T.W. Cargile, Kevin “Swine” Grant, Cowboy Eddie Long, Dave McAfee, James Mitchell and Chris Powell.
Dave Cobb, who also worked on That Lonesome Sound and The Guitar Song, produced the album’s second half, including “Saturday Night in New Orleans,” “One More Time,” “Sober,” “Tired of It All,” “No Time Like the Past” and “What You Answer To.” ‘He was brilliant, as usual,” Johnson says. “I love Dave and have nothing but deep respect for him. What a classy guy and a tasteful musician, and an endless wealth of ideas.”
Johnson’s co-writers on this album include Jim “Moose” Brown, Dallas Davidson, Ira Dean, Dale Dodson, Rob Hatch, Randy Houser, Ajay Popoff, Jeremy Popoff, James Slater, Ernest Keith Smith, Chris Stapleton and Tony Jo White. Other songs were written by Dean Dillon, Scotty Emerick, Kyle Fishman, Jeff Hyde, Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo and Troy Verges.
The album also contains “21 Guns,” “What a View,” “Trudy” and “Sober,” all of which were released during the last few months.
“Sober” has received tremendous critical praise. Music Row’s Robert K. Oermann says, “Johnson remains one of our most towering country vocalists, and this spare, stripped-down track lets him emote magnificently on the ballad… The whole performance rings with honesty and truth.” As Saving Country Music says, “Whether you’re clean or not, ‘Sober’ is the Jamey Johnson song you’ve waited 15 years for.”
“It has been a joy to stand there and play these new songs to my fans every night on this ‘What a View’ tour. 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. 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.”
In addition to partnering with WMN, he has also signed with TKO Artist Management as his new management team. “Jamey and I have been friends for a long time and frequently spoke about working together. You just don’t miss an opportunity to work with a talent like Jamey Johnson,” says TK Kimbrell, owner of TKO Artist Management.
Johnson, a ten-time GRAMMY nominee, has been called “one of the greatest country singers of our time,” by The Washington Post. His music has garnered international acclaim and is embraced by fans of classic and contemporary country, as well as Americana and mainstream rock.
The Grand Ole Opry member is also widely regarded as one of the greatest country songwriters of his generation. He is one of only two people in the history of country music (along with Kris Kristofferson) to win two Song of the Year awards in the same year–for “Give It Away” and “In Color”–from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
A consummate storyteller, his songs have been recorded by George Strait, Trace Adkins, Willie Nelson, James Otto, Joe Nichols and others. He is “a first-rate preservationist of classic country songwriting…,” says The New York Times.
His recent prime-time television performances have been widely recognized as the best of the shows, from singing “Georgia on My Mind” in the 2023 CBS special Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration” and “Angels Among Us” for the 2024 CMT Giants: Alabama to performing “Beer for My Horses” in August with Lainey Wilson for the top-rated NBC special Toby Keith: American Icon” and debuting his powerful song, “21 Guns,” during PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert earlier this year.
Track listing 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)
