Jamey Johnson released “Sober,” which he co-wrote with James Slater, on Friday, August 30, marking the fourth new song he has released since May.
“‘Sober’ is about how hard it is to stay sober in a town that glorifies drinking and other kinds of debauchery — not just glorifies it, but it is in just about every song in country music one way or the other,” Johnson says. “It’s about how difficult it is being a songwriter to stay sober in the presence of it.”
“I am 13 years sober now. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since 2011, and I know that could end this afternoon. It is a day-to-day, hour-to-hour decision. Most of the places I play are bars. That is what ‘Sober’ is about.”
Johnson and Slater also wrote “High Cost of Living,” which was released in 2009 and included on his platinum-selling album That Lonesome Song.
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.”