{"id":2310260,"date":"2026-03-03T13:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T13:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2310260"},"modified":"2026-03-03T13:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T13:23:10","slug":"review-kentuckys-sturgill-simpson-new-album-on-youtube","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/review-kentuckys-sturgill-simpson-new-album-on-youtube\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Kentucky\u2019s Sturgill Simpson new album on YouTube"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\"><!----><!----><\/p>\n<figure\/><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Just in case you were wondering if <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow\" href=\"https:\/\/sturgillsimpson.com\/\">Sturgill Simpson<\/a> still has the ability to surprise, the answer is now in.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a resounding \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>We had already been tipped off that the Grammy-winning Breathitt County-born song stylist was going to drop his second album under the artistic nom de plume of Johnny Blue Skies on March 13. Furthermore, the limited details confirmed a title of \u201cMutiny After Midnight,\u201d a new support band name of The Dark Clouds (blue skies and dark clouds?) and an admission that the intent behind the new music was \u201cto make a dance album.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A surprise? Well, sort of. Then Mr. Blue Skies shuffled the deck, released the album two weeks early and posted the whole thing <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"Follow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QKHGmFvzjJ4\">on YouTube<\/a> for anyone to listen to for free.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Surprise!<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MUTINY AFTER MIDNIGHT\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QKHGmFvzjJ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>There was no forewarning about the rushed release. It just happened. Call it an artistic impulse, an eccentricity or a gimmick. Regardless of the reason, Blues Skies have opened and what we\u2019re hearing is, well, head-scratching.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Now that is no surprise.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMutiny After Midnight\u201d is indeed a dance record, but not the kind of present day, electronica obsessed indulgence audiences might expect \u2014 you know, another beat-driven manifesto credited to a dozen different artists, writers and producers.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<figure class=\"photo-inline-\">\n<div class=\"img-container picture \">                        <picture>                <!--[if IE 9]><video style=\"display: none;\"><![endif]--><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/vsx0ab\/picture314903914\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Mutiny_After_Midnight_-_Album_Cover_Art_400_400_s_c1.png\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/vsx0ab\/picture314903914\/alternates\/FREE_960\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Mutiny_After_Midnight_-_Album_Cover_Art_400_400_s_c1.png\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/vsx0ab\/picture314903914\/alternates\/FREE_768\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Mutiny_After_Midnight_-_Album_Cover_Art_400_400_s_c1.png\" media=\"(min-width: 601px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/vsx0ab\/picture314903914\/alternates\/FREE_640\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Mutiny_After_Midnight_-_Album_Cover_Art_400_400_s_c1.png\" media=\"(min-width: 441px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/vsx0ab\/picture314903914\/alternates\/FREE_480\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Mutiny_After_Midnight_-_Album_Cover_Art_400_400_s_c1.png\" media=\"(min-width: 320px)\"><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]-->                                <img class=\"responsive-image\" width=\"1140\" height=\"1140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/vsx0ab\/picture314903914\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Mutiny_After_Midnight_-_Album_Cover_Art_400_400_s_c1.png\" alt=\"\u201cMutiny After Midnight,\u201d Johnny Blue Skies &amp; the Dark Clouds\" title=\"Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Mutiny_After_Midnight_-_Album_Cover_Art_400_400_s_c1.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 992px) 750px, (min-width: 768px) 690px, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>                            <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>                                            \u201cMutiny After Midnight,\u201d Johnny Blue Skies &amp; the Dark Clouds                                                        <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>No, the Johnny Blue Skies dance party tosses you into a time machine. In the era you land in, \u201cStarsky &amp; Hutch\u201d is on the TV at the bar, mirror balls populate the ceilings and men\u2019s lapels are big enough to take you windsurfing.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Referencing this music strictly as disco is a bit disingenuous. There is some of that sprinkled throughout \u201cMutiny After Midnight,\u201d especially at the onset, where the album begins with the kind of quick whir that happens when a vinyl record and the stylus sitting upon it have been suddenly released from hand-held purgatory. Then the groove kicks in. It\u2019s crisp, bright but fueled by a hearty organic spark, one largely generated by the generous use of guitar and real drums in both rhythmic and lead positions. The title? Well, being a family publication, we can\u2019t really list it here since Mr. Blues Skies dropped an F bomb in middle of it.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But the album gets even more curious. The lyrics depict a kind of social rebirth, an awakening clarified by rhyming \u201cobsolescence\u201d with \u201canti-depressants.\u201d From there, the song wavers between Donna Summer-style dance floor swagger and Joe Walsh-leaning guitar pageantry.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In short, tonight we\u2019re going to party like it\u2019s 1978.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<figure class=\"photo-inline-\">\n<div class=\"img-container picture \">                        <picture>                <!--[if IE 9]><video style=\"display: none;\"><![endif]--><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/7y374y\/picture314903915\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Photo_by_Edwin_Keeble.png\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/7y374y\/picture314903915\/alternates\/FREE_960\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Photo_by_Edwin_Keeble.png\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/7y374y\/picture314903915\/alternates\/FREE_768\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Photo_by_Edwin_Keeble.png\" media=\"(min-width: 601px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/7y374y\/picture314903915\/alternates\/FREE_640\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Photo_by_Edwin_Keeble.png\" media=\"(min-width: 441px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/7y374y\/picture314903915\/alternates\/FREE_480\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Photo_by_Edwin_Keeble.png\" media=\"(min-width: 320px)\"><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]-->                                <img class=\"responsive-image\" width=\"1140\" height=\"1140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/7y374y\/picture314903915\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Photo_by_Edwin_Keeble.png\" alt=\"Sturgill Simpson, also known as Johnny Blue Skies, with his new band, the Dark Clouds, has released a new album, \u201cMutiny at Midnight.\u201d The self-described dance album was released unexpected on March 2, two weeks early and free on YouTube. Simpson is a native of Kentucky.\" title=\"Johnny_Blue_Skies___the_Dark_Clouds_-_Photo_by_Edwin_Keeble.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 992px) 750px, (min-width: 768px) 690px, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>                            <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>                                            Sturgill Simpson, also known as Johnny Blue Skies, with his new band, the Dark Clouds, has released a new album, \u201cMutiny at Midnight.\u201d The self-described dance album was released unexpected on March 2, two weeks early and free on YouTube. Simpson is a native of Kentucky.                                                                                                                                                                        <span class=\"credit\">Provided<\/span>                                                            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lyrically, the rest of \u201cMutiny After Midnight\u201d is a real puzzler. At times, it gets eerily topical. The music is all late \u201970s funk, rock and groove, right down to the glistening clavinet that propels \u201cStay on That.\u201d But the narrative on \u201cExcited Delirium\u201d details, against music that is a little ELO and a little Jerry Lee Lewis, what sure sounds like an ICE raid \u2014 a push against resistance, a \u201cconversation with fourteen fists\u201d and a pair of uneasy questions: \u201cWhy are you dressed up like a soldier? What the hell are you wearing a face mask for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Go ahead. Dance to that.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<figure class=\"photo-inline-\">\n<div class=\"img-container picture \">                        <picture>                <!--[if IE 9]><video style=\"display: none;\"><![endif]--><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/62fmog\/picture292907239\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/sturgill_simpson4.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/62fmog\/picture292907239\/alternates\/FREE_960\/sturgill_simpson4.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/62fmog\/picture292907239\/alternates\/FREE_768\/sturgill_simpson4.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 601px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/62fmog\/picture292907239\/alternates\/FREE_640\/sturgill_simpson4.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 441px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/62fmog\/picture292907239\/alternates\/FREE_480\/sturgill_simpson4.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 320px)\"><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]-->                                <img class=\"responsive-image\" width=\"1140\" height=\"1425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/62fmog\/picture292907239\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/sturgill_simpson4.jpg\" alt=\"Kentucky singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson.\" title=\"sturgill_simpson4.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 992px) 750px, (min-width: 768px) 690px, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>                            <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>                                            Kentucky singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson.                                                                                                                                                                        <span class=\"credit\">Provided<\/span>                                                            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But \u201cMutiny After Midnight\u201d isn\u2019t a politically dominant album. In fact, a good chunk of the lyrics come off as machismo-heavy come-ons that would be right in step with disco chic. Some of the wordplay is clever. Some of it sophomoric. Still, the jolt from ICE-land back to discoville is a bit jarring.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Things even out as \u201cMutiny After Midnight\u201d heads into the home stretch. \u201cEveryone is Welcome\u201d offers a doomsday sentiment that seeps even into the chorus (\u201cEveryone is welcome to drown here\u201d) while the music glides along to a sleek, sax-savvy groove. The album-closing \u201cAin\u2019t That a Bitch\u201d cooks up churning, less disco-driven funk as the lyrics detail income disparity, prime time fascism, oligarchies and other party themes.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<figure class=\"photo-inline-\">\n<div class=\"img-container picture \">                        <picture>                <!--[if IE 9]><video style=\"display: none;\"><![endif]--><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/b76w30\/picture293185354\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/imagejpeg_1.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 992px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/b76w30\/picture293185354\/alternates\/FREE_960\/imagejpeg_1.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/b76w30\/picture293185354\/alternates\/FREE_768\/imagejpeg_1.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 601px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/b76w30\/picture293185354\/alternates\/FREE_640\/imagejpeg_1.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 441px)\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/b76w30\/picture293185354\/alternates\/FREE_480\/imagejpeg_1.jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 320px)\"><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]-->                                <img class=\"responsive-image\" width=\"1140\" height=\"1520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/public\/latest-news\/b76w30\/picture293185354\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/imagejpeg_1.jpg\" alt=\"Sturgill Simpson played Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Sept. 27, 2024.\" title=\"imagejpeg_1.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 992px) 750px, (min-width: 768px) 690px, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>                            <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption>                                            Sturgill Simpson played Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Sept. 27, 2024.                                                                                            Alexander Valentine                                                                            <span class=\"credit\">avalentine@herald-leader.com<\/span>                                                            <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It all ends with &#8230; clicks. No kidding. The tune bleeds into a tasty finale jam that fades into two minutes of slow, repetitive clicks \u2014 the kind you used to hear when a needle has completed its journey across one side of a vinyl album, but keeps wavering back and forth on the other side of the grooves until it is manually set free.<\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>You know what you do then, don\u2019t you? You turn it over and see what surprises await you on the flip side. Pretty heady stuff for a dance party.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!----><!----><!----><\/p>\n<div class=\"zone grid\">\n<div class=\"related-stories story-module\">\n<h5>Related Stories from  Lexington Herald Leader<\/h5>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!----><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.kentucky.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just in case you were wondering if Sturgill Simpson still has the ability to surprise, the answer is now in. It\u2019s a resounding \u201cYep.\u201d We had already been tipped off that the Grammy-winning Breathitt County-born song stylist was going to drop his second album under the artistic nom de plume of Johnny Blue Skies on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2310261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[441810,447545,29662,350906,364018],"class_list":["post-2310260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-johnny-blue-skies","tag-mutiny-after-midnight","tag-new-album","tag-review","tag-sturgill-simpson"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Review-Kentuckys-Sturgill-Simpson-new-album-on-YouTube.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2310260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2310262,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2310260\/revisions\/2310262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2310261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2310260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2310260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2310260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}