RT JOHNSON

                                                             "American Tough" 

                                                             CCB Nashville

As 2022 rolls on, the CCB Nashville label continues to introduce their talented label through their ambitious #newmusicfriday initiative, releasing a brand-new song every week from one of the artists on their roster.

RT Johnson had a breakout year in 2021 when his song “Feel Good Again” earned him substantial radio play and catapulted him into charting position on the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart. However, 2022 is proving to be a year where Johnson is not only elevating what he does best as he’s already shown us on songs such as “You Can’t Go Wrong” and “Daylight Southern Time,” but it’s also giving him an opportunity to dip a toe into some new territory and try it on for size as he did with “Trouble.”

With his newest release “American Tough,” we get RT Johnson doing exactly what he does best as he turns up his country boy charm to deliver a strong, American pride lyric just ahead of Memorial Day.

Focusing on a true blue, American born and raised man who still holds onto the morals and values he was brought up on, Johnson leans into descriptive lyrics that help you immediately relate this to someone from your own life, describing him throughout the opening verse (and chorus) as the type who’s cut his teeth on the steering wheel of an old John Deere, has calloused hands from hard work, and stands up for what’s right.

Although his tender side is briefly touched upon during the opening verse, it’s in the second that we see that side completely brought to the forefront as Johnson powerfully sings:

“His faith is so unshakable you will never see him break

Until he kneels down his bed each night, on his knees to pray

The tears fall out when he’s giving thanks to the Lord above

For the life he gave to man he made American Tough”

While we can certainly relate the man in this song to so many of those in our own lives, one really must wonder if this isn’t about ol’ RT Johnson himself? Perhaps the fact that several pieces of who RT Johnson is lives through this song, is exactly what makes his delivery come out so raw and real, while he and the production team perfectly smash that raw honesty into the perfect, mood setting instrumentation to give Johnson’s audience a solid look at who he is; both as an artist and as a person.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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