• Jam

    Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

    There is some sort of magic, some mystical talent, that some songwriters possess – the ability to compose a piece of music that captures the listener just seconds into a song. If you appreciate the rock & roll, the twang of Americana & country roots, the scoot and groove of a tasty guitar lick, then Daniel Donato’s “Justice” is for you. I mean, 20 seconds in, there I was, nodding my head and smiling. That doesn’t happen every day.

    Daniel Donato is a Nashville musician, in his mid-twenties, and a whiz on the Fender Telecaster. He’s professed his appreciation for the country virtuosos of our lifetime – Waylon & Merle and such. And, after discovering their music over the last decade, he’s a card carrying Deadhead. The Grateful Dead in and of itself were a melting pot of influences – folk to psychedelic rock to country to blues – and Daniel Donato soaks it all up into his own “Cosmic Country” style.

    “Justice” is the opening track on his full length debut, A Young Man’s Country, an album that also features covers of Waylon’s “Ain’t Living Long Like This,” John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery,” and a 9 minute version of the Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain.”

    You can stream it in its entirety on Bandcamp, and pre-order the limited edition vinyl there too. I’m looking forward to what Daniel’s got in store for us down the road. For now, we’ve got “Justice” – and it cooks!

  • Country

    Dreaming My Dreams With You – Jamey Johnson

    Jamey Johnson is a big bad bearded, former Marine country singer from Alabama. He’s only 37, but leans toward the old school “classic” country sound of Waylon, Willie and George. Now I love my twang, and there’s little I find to appreciate in the mainstream country that Nashville churns out these days. But always lurking in the shadows are artists like Jamey keeping that old school tradition alive – and I’m always happy to stumble across them.

    His 2008 debut album, That Lonesome Song, makes its way back into my rotation every so often. It’s a laid back, back of the bar acoustic guitar and pedal steel ride that is great all the way through.

    I always like the quieter moments, and Jamey knocks it out of the park with his cover of “Dreaming My Dreams With You”, an absolutely gorgeous tune written by songwriter Allen Reynolds for Waylon Jennings’ 1975 album, Dreaming My Dreams

    I also recommend Jamey’s latest release, Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran. He duets with the likes of Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, and others.