There’s a playfulness to the best old country songwriting, a kind of delight in turning a phrase, in surprising a listener. It’s a trick that Colorado Americana songwriter Jackson Emmer learned early on playing noisy bars in Aspen. Inspired equally by Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt, Emmer weaves the kind of bittersweet, barroom ballads that Nashville songwriters used to fight over in the 70s. And if he understands the subtle humor of this old style of songwriting, it’s because he’s truly a student of American roots music. Emmer cut his teeth early on with Sam Moss, known for his American primitive guitar work, in the Appalachian old-time duo The Howling Kettles, and he’s studied everything from Guy Clark to Bob Wills.
On his new album, Jukebox (out April 27 on Lost Honey Records), Emmer spins tales of love gone wrong around quick surprises and sucker punches, dancing like Roger Miller and stinging like John Prine. His voice has a bit of gravel in it, like a refurbished bar that still has a hint of cigarette smoke from years past, and his guitar shifts between electric chicken pickin’ and John Hurt fingerstyle. There’s an ease to Emmer’s music that comes from the joy he feels playing and writing great songs, and this ease draws the listener in, allowing them to see themselves in his songs.
To bring the final sound of the album together, Emmer looked up the recording engineer behind Guy Clark’s three last albums, Chris Latham, and recruited him to mix and master Jukebox. It’s this kind of reverence for the past and gleeful interest in the future that makes Emmer a compelling artist. He’s not looking to recreate a bygone era, but to learn how to make music that compelling again.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Don’t Leave Me Blue”, one of the standout tracks on Jukebox. The song has a loose, rambling country sound that immediately brings to mind the redneck-meets-hippie culture of Austin, Texas in the 1970s. Emmer’s vocals are whiskey smooth with enough grit to make it all feel real. The song proves that this young troubadour is capable of crafting the kind of songs that would make Willie smile. He’s not bogged down by the Americana label, instead conjuring up a bygone country sound and throwing in fiddle, mandolin, harmonica and colorful harmonies.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the tune, Emmer has this to say:
“‘Don’t Leave Me Blue’ is an upbeat rumination on abandonment, loyalty, and perseverance. Relationships are endlessly fascinating, and each have their ups and downs. This song is me imagining coping with my wife leaving me. She hasn’t gone, but everyone wonders about being left.”
LISTEN:
Jukebox is out April 27 on Lost Honey Records. For more music and info visit jacksonemmer.com.
