Realizing life isn’t about the material things. Jamey Johnson is one of the best songwriters in the business, taking responsibility for timeless tunes like “In Color,” “High Cost Of Living,” and more. However after Jamey shared that he has recorded over 50 new songs since releasing his 2024 album Midnight Gasoline, his first solo album in 14 years, it appears as thought he’s ready to let fans hear them. And today, Jamey Johnson is back with an introspective new single, “More Of What Matters.”
“I’ve got so many songs recorded. Over 50 still unreleased just from the past couple of sessions. We’ve got more sessions coming. I don’t know… at some point we’re gonna have to just start throwing songs out.”
@whiskeyriff “There’s a presence out there, and there’s an immediate reverence from the band when we get there.” // Check out the latest Whiskey Riff Raff podcast with @JameyJohnsonOfficial available now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #jameyjohnson #countrymusic #johnnycash ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff
Johnson has released two duets since Midnight Gasoline: “Smoke” with Riley Green and “Never Gonna Be” with Ronnie Dunn. And today, January 30, it appears we are entering the next chapter of Johnson’s music, as he shared his first single of the year, “More Of What Matters.” Penned alongside Jon Stone and Keith Follese, “More Of What Matters” is a song from Johnson’s vault, as it was penned over 20 years ago.
Johnson touched on what the song is about ahead of the release, sharing:
“‘More Of What Matters’ I wrote that somewhere around ’04, ’05, maybe. When we recorded it around the same time we made ‘In Color.’ It’s really a foreshadowing song, you know, to have been written 20 years ago, it seems like my headspace was at the time already looking down range to a time when I needed to wind things down a little bit and get back to the things that should be top priority, you know?
Business is good, but business isn’t the most important thing, and this is a song about getting back to what really is important.”
The tune highlights the importance of prioritizing family and loved ones and living in the moment. The narrator wakes up one morning, realizing that although his cup is full of material things, he feels empty in other areas of his life and needs to focus on rebuilding those bonds and pouring his time into the people who make the world turn.
At the end of the day, you can’t take material things with you to the afterlife, so it’s essential to keep people and relationships at the focal point of life.
“I need more of what matters
Every moment that I have it
‘Cause it’s all that you take with you when you go
If spinning wheels and climbing ladders
Is all there is, well, then I’d rather
Go to heaven empty-handed
Knowing that I got it right
I need more of what matters
More of what really matters in my life.”
Johnson’s voice as he delivers the lyrics feels like a wise elder bestowing advice, delivering this message with a rich, comforting twang. Johnson is laying down gospel with this tune, and with all that’s going on in this crazy world, it’s a potent message to refocus your life on the truly important things.
Jamey Johnson does not miss. Turn this one all the way up.
