Style Weekly
Richmond's alternative for news, arts, culture and opinion
Despite helping compose such kitschy and commercially viable country songs as George Strait's “Give It Away,” Trace Adkins' “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and Joe Nichols' “Ladies Love Country Boys,” Nashville songwriter Jamey Johnson at heart is not a 21st-century country musician, wasting tape trying to convince his audience just how regular, redneck and rooted he is. A traditionalist of the genre, Johnson takes the route of a Hank Williams or a Waylon Jennings, using the ruralism of the music for cathartic purposes. Matching his gruff vocal delivery with a distinct emotional intimacy, the former Marine hit a creative stride with his most recent album, “That Lonesome Song,” the work resulting from a painful divorce. Touring in support of accomplishments and failures, Johnson is scheduled to play the Hat Factory on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. $25.
Other Publications
