RT JOHNSON

                                                              "Trouble" 

                                                              CCB Nashville

When RT Johnson gifted me the opportunity to hear some of the master on this single a few weeks back, it was clearly evident that he was dipping his toes into some new waters with this release.

While he’s become known for his 90’s country inspired sound thanks to the success of “Feel Good Again,” “Trouble” takes a hard left turn from everything we’ve come to expect from Johnson and refreshingly advances him forward with a bright flash of modern pop country that perfectly mirrors what we’re hearing from today’s mainstream country music.

A soft piano intro over the first 5 seconds grabs your attention, but then it quickly gives way to Johnson’s crisp vocal as it sets the tone of the steamy lyrics over a pop laden backbeat, “She got me on my knees like a Sunday, I’m begging for more.”

As the lyrics push forward, they continue to bring us inside his head after meeting the girl that knocked him off his feet with the confession line of “I swore I’d never let a girl do me that way, stuck in my head from the moment she left,” while also perfectly painting the picture of what that night looked like from his perspective, “she taught me dance and showed me where to put my hands” and “she knew what she was doing with her lips on my neck, strap on her dress falling.”

The chorus, however, skillfully moves us away from the situations that led up to this moment of “trouble,” and it once again places us into Johnson’s mind as he uses all the right phrases to signify that it’s spinning a million miles per hour.  

With one more confession in the bridge when he sings the very strong line, “She’s doing all the wrong things right, I’m looking for trouble tonight!” Johnson fully admits that while he may not have been at the club looking for her initially, she’s got him so wrapped up around her finger now that he’s unapologetically taking the leap into whatever the night may hold.

What stands out most on “Trouble” is that while it’s decisively different from anything we’ve heard from Johnson in the past, it never actually feels like he’s out of his element or that this style doesn’t suit him. Quite the opposite actually! It rather feels like Johnson has found the exact sound he’s been looking for, and this shift could be exactly what’s needed to open the door to national airplay for one of the strongest emerging talents in 2022.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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