Jason James has released a country album about heartache, cheating, lost love and honky tonks, complete with plenty of steel guitar. Somewhere, somebody in Nashville is probably wondering if that’s still allowed.
Cut The Chain, James’ third full-length album, is available now through Heart of Texas Records and distributed by Smith Music. The 10-track collection was written entirely by James and makes no attempt to disguise where its loyalties lie: traditional country music, storytelling and the kind of songs that generally don’t require a committee meeting to figure out what genre they belong to.
Producer John Evans joined James for the project alongside a formidable group of musicians, including bassist Dave Roe, steel guitarist Steve Hinson, guitarist Kenny Vaughan and the late bluegrass great Ronnie Bowman. Work on the album began in 2022 but was delayed by personal and financial challenges. Following Roe’s death, James eventually returned to Nashville and chose to finish the record at Roe’s studio, reuniting with many of the musicians who had helped begin it.
That history gives Cut The Chain a little more weight than simply being another record determined to keep traditional country alive. It’s also the continuation of something that nearly didn’t get finished.
James has already taken the title track to The Malpass Brothers Show on RFD-TV, an appropriate landing spot for an artist who isn’t particularly interested in pretending steel guitars have an expiration date.
Cut The Chain is available now.
Learn More: Jason James Official Website | Heart of Texas Records
Information provided by Jason James and Heart of Texas Records.