* En anglais uniquement
Although he grew up surrounded by country music, singer/songwriter
Jason James came to the genre later. A native of Texas City, Texas,
James began playing guitar in his teens, playing in punk and alt-rock bands well into his twenties before discovering a passion for classic country and honky tonk. Changing course, he began writing country songs inspired by greats like
Hank Williams and
George Jones, eventually putting a band together and hitting the Texas open-mike scene. He was eventually picked up by alt-country/Americana label
New West, who set him up with producer
John Evans and a crew of Texas studio vets. The initial sessions were such a success that
New West sent him up to Nashville to record with
Keith Gattis (
Willie Nelson,
Dwight Yoakam), who helped him complete his self-titled debut. Released in the summer of 2015,
Jason James' debut has a classy, decidedly retro feel similar to contemporaries like
Sturgill Simpson and
New West labelmate
Robert Ellis. ~ Timothy Monger