RT JOHNSON

                                          "Firewater (The Tale of Popcorn Sutton)" 

                                                              CCB Nashville

As CCB Nashville continues to plunge into the end of the year with their incredible #newmusicfriday initiative, RT Johnson stands in his normal position at the third week of the month as it’s been all year long.

Johnson, who broke-through in 2021 with “Feel Good Again,” has really used his 10 releases (so far) in 2022 to define all the many different characteristics and signature feels that make him one of the independent scene’s most promising artists.

He’s reminded us of good ‘ol morals, values, and what matters most on songs such as “You Can’t Go Wrong” and “Daylight Southern Time,” shown off his witty, country boy charm on “Fish Sober” and “Hillbilly Redneck Southern Rebel Country Club,” and weaved us through tales of down-home folks with “Pistol Packin’ Preacher,” “American Tough,” and now on his latest release, “Firewater (The Tale of Popcorn Sutton).”

Sutton, a renowned bootlegging figure of the Appalachian moonshine runners who is now recognized posthumously by his face being adorned on a brand of White Whiskey spearheaded by Hank Williams Jr., takes the spotlight as RT weaves us through Popcorn’s backwoods, moonshine laden story.

Johnson first kicks things off by taking us straight out to the hills of  Carolina where we meet Popcorn Sutton, described through the opening verse as an old moonshiner that could make it finer then you’ve ever seen, before he then brings us deeper into his story of sneaking into the woods undetected at night, building a fire, and striking up a new batch of his mountain water for his next buyer.

Who that next buyer is, though, shockingly arrives in the second half of the song when Johnson reveals that small-town sheriff came snooping around, asking for a pint from Sutton’s best batch so that he’d have something to sip on later that night.

Sandwiched between the classic country storytelling ideals in the verses, Johnson skillfully uses the chorus to describe the traits that defined who Sutton was, adding flavor to the main character (and title bearer) when he sings: 

“And he won’t scare, didn’t nothing bother him

He was a whole lot smarter than folks would give him credit.”

This gritty, swampy, mud stomping country song has been a fan favorite at Johnson’s shows over the past year, and he’s been chomping at the bit to get this one out into the world.

Now that it’s arrived and is already being met with much acclaim, we see Johnson taking another huge step ahead on his path as he continues to intriguingly reveal the signature definitions of who he is as an artist and songwriter, keeping the momentum rolling forward as he gives us glimpses of where he’s heading musically from here.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

Do you like what you're reading on Today's Country Magazine? Donate today by clicking HERE

• Prev
• Next