I'm not the biggest fan of most modern country artist but damn does Sturgill had such an awesome idea that he made reality. It's now my most treasured record in my collection today. Nothing like cruising on the road and "Sing Along" comes on.
Johnny Blue Skies is the new name, but that's partly because he said Sturgill Simpson would only make five albums. So here's a sixth from some new guy! It's not a Christian album, though. You might be thinking of Tyler Childers who recently cut a single gospel album in three different styles.
I'd say it's a rock/country fusion throwback to the older days of Waylen Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and storytelling in line of Kenny Rogers. Like outlaw country.
Amazing! I was unaware- but now I am and this dude is awesome. I was hooked in 3 seconds. Also - I love country music because it leads to absurd wiki entries like this.
I’m new to him as of today- but really happy to have been exposed. I just always enjoy that it’s frequently a nominally country artist who has some unhinged detail like that - something that artists in any other genre likely would never even been asked about :)
It’s a larger curiosity of mine that country music enforces these very narrow norms on its artists and in some way they have to defend some themselves if they don’t.
That's so true, and isn't it wild coming from a genre that purportedly reveres Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson?
Except when the outlaws were recording they were all frequently subjected to various purity tests and faced backlashes and commercial punishments for their outlaw ways. Now Willie, sadly the last remaining of them, is beloved - but, look at how ‘country’ treats Taylor and Beyonce. Same thing.
Converted a lot of new Sturgill fans with that album! Keep going down that Alt Country rabbit hole and you shall receive a renewed hope in red state outcasts with smart mouths🔥
wish they'd just let him cook, but i got no idea how these people are surprised by anything he does being a little outside nashville when his most successful album had a big line just listing drugs he's tried. and his first album featured the line "i been spending all my money on weed and pills"
he said once that he feels constrained by his voice because he sounds so much like waylon jennings, he really epitomizes the whole "genre boundaries/expectations stifle creativity"
Oddly enough the whole album hits me with serious space folk vibes. Feel like the dude would be right at home if he wrote a country album about blue collar space workers cribbing from Bill Roper, Leslie Fish, Bill Sutton and Julia Ecklar.
This feels a lot a continuation of ZZ Top’s tradition, including the video. I don’t see how it’s so far removed from country. It’s a boogie with some synths. The drums are at least partly real.
He’s coming nearby for on a tour called who the fuck is Johnny blue skies? Was the it mostly his latest album? I’m hoping it’s more like his old shows which were rock concerts and awesome.
He played some from the new album, Passage du Desir. They jammed a ton, played for 3 hours straight. The band is super tight. Not even sure how I would describe it other than if you get the opportunity, go!
Comments
1) this rocks
2) the guy released and album called "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music" and people are surprised he's doing something off the beaten path?
https://udm14.com
goddamn this rules
https://youtu.be/qsrsrOB0zNQ?si=WOzGp76GzHQmH5Lp
But history's made out of violence
After the war of the worlds has ceased
All that's left is the deafening silence'
https://youtu.be/er416Ad3R1g?si=eXX1x0EJtko4F-H3
Thanks for sharing!
Oddly enough the whole album hits me with serious space folk vibes. Feel like the dude would be right at home if he wrote a country album about blue collar space workers cribbing from Bill Roper, Leslie Fish, Bill Sutton and Julia Ecklar.
I think you could add 200x more synths and go entirely drum and these people would call it country if the singer does The Voice.
Dayummm