Sometimes, it’s just an artist’s time to shine. The second half of 2020 has proven that most recently, it’s Addison Johnson’s time.
The release of his last single, “Rollin’ Stolen” in July, has earned Johnson his greatest streaming success to date, cumulating nearly six times the amount of streams as his next highest-streamed single. In fact, it isn’t just fans listening and loving the song; when we posted our interview with Johnson about the song, several artists responded saying how much they loved it as well.
But after finding that success once, the next single is sure to be put under a microscope with so many new eyes turned towards it. With his new single, “Cumberland River ’58,” Johnson has delivered in a big way.
The most noticeable difference between his new single and his previous albums comes almost right away, as the production is much more rich and full than anything he’s released previously. Thankfully though, Johnson didn’t re-invent the wheel of his artistry, as still excellently intact are his ability to craft a story and his ability to make it sound country as hell in the process.
An acoustic lick and steel line carry the melody, and when mixed with a thumping, sporadic, mood-setting kick drum, the stage is set for a story that details the journey of an aspiring country artist that gets mixed up in a love triangle and pays for it with his life. Murder ballads are too few and far between these days, and Johnson has more than filled the void with his new single.
When it was released, we told Johnson that his August 2019 single “Old No. 7” was our favorite song he’d released. Then when he released “Rollin’ Stolen,” we told him that was our favorite. And now, with the release of “Cumberland River ’58,” we’ll say it again. Johnson is continuing to raise the bar, and has us eagerly awaiting the release of his new album next year. Jump on board the Addison Johnson bandwagon now, you’ll be glad you did!
Pro Country 
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