Album Review – Addison Johnson’s “Dark Side of the Mountain”

Man, what a damn good little album this is, and kind of out of nowhere, which makes you appreciate it even more. Taking that wild-eyed Appalachian region mountain music hilljack vibe made popular by Tyler Childers, combining it with a little bit of murder and mayhem a la Hank3, and then giving it an unexpected twist by bringing in some of those early 90’s country sounds that hit the sweet spot of nostalgia at the moment, you have a record on your hands here that you’ll immediately fall for, and find difficult to get tired of.
Dark Side of the Mountain is just that: transmissions from the seedier side of life where the sun doesn’t shine—meaning the hollers where the moonshine is brewed, blood is spilled, and pills are consumed as folks who’ve struck out in life look for a way up and out. Greensboro, NC-native Addison Johnson tells you one harrowing tale after another, from stealing a car to run drugs to New Orleans, to crashing a wedding by shooting off the top of the wedding cake, to a country music hopeful being sunk to the bottom of the Cumberland River in Nashville.
What Addison Johnson does that makes Dark Side of the Mountain so immediately compelling is he takes classic country music themes familiar to us all so they’re easy to warm to, but imbues them with smart writing and new twists so they come out fresh, punctuated by his Piedmont drawl. Addison’s knack for storytelling is really what sets this record off. You’re riding shotgun with him as he grooves in “Rollin’ Stolen.” You feel satisfaction when he gets back at his cheating lover in “Heartache in the Hills.” Addison Johnson is an anti-hero for hillbillies.

Even when he lays into the traditional drinking songs, like “Blue Eyes Red” with its 90’s country radio divorcee sound, or “Old No. 7” which probably has been done a million times before, Addison is able to personalize them with his writing and the music that puts you in his shoes. Dark Side of the Mountain doesn’t have a weak track, and has a nose for the tempo to set each song in a perfect groove.
While still presenting a fairly cohesive sound and unique style, Addison Johnson and his cohorts cover a lot of ground when it comes to sound and style. “Dark Side of the Mountain” and “Barely Gettin’ By” definitely remind you of the strong destitute Kentucky coal-region mood that is defining much of the best independent country music at the moment. But “Rollin’ Stolen” and “Blue Eyes Red” sound like something Brooks & Dunn or Clint Black could have cut if the lyrics were a bit different.
And like all good and dark country records do, there is a moment of redemption at the end with “Black Leather Red Letters.” Again, allusions to the Bible are common song fodder in country. But it’s the way Addison is able to revitalize the trope, and infuse it in a bluegrass-inspired country Gospel song that makes it feel new to you, like he’s singing right into your soul.
There might be better written albums in the Americana realm, or country records that feature more hot pickin’, or something that includes more striking originality. But when it comes to losing yourself in in a good country record that is enjoyable to listen to and good for a road trip, Addison Johnson’s Dark Side of the Mountain is just about perfect.
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1 3/4 Guns Up (8.5/10)
Purchase Dark Side of the Mountain
March 16, 2021 @ 8:55 am
I get an Aaron Tippen vibe with worse songs.
March 17, 2021 @ 6:20 am
come on, nobody has worse songs than Aaron Tippin
March 18, 2021 @ 5:33 am
“there ain’t nothing wrong with the raddiooooooo”
reminds me of trace adkins… hmn.
March 16, 2021 @ 9:20 am
wow …” we got yer country right here ”…
I can almost hear the conversation in Addison’s head : ”Mainstream calls THAT stuff ”country ” ??? THAT stuff ??. I’d better straighten them out with THIS stuff ”.
I imagine him on the job …..someone has the ”country”station on and he snaps in the middle of a FGL ”song” and says..”” That’s it ….I’m gonna write a country album after work today ….I can’t stand another minute of this “”. this stuff seems to pour out of him ….
but in reality it takes hard work to make a lyric flow so easily and accessibly .
Addison has a great COUNTRY vocal style all his own ….unique tone , conversational , pitch perfect , even but dynamic , clean, arresting and energized ( ronnie dunn , as trigger points out ). the tracks here echo that vocal conviction , IMO , making this a cohesive , organic mix with LOTS of band energy (as opposed to the karaoke -sounding mixes on a FGL or LB track ). its real on all fronts …and damn if the players don’t get to actually PLAY ! what a concept !
March 16, 2021 @ 11:19 am
My kinda country. Thanks for the review.
March 16, 2021 @ 2:49 pm
Damn. His previous album was good but this, this is something special.
March 20, 2021 @ 6:43 am
Agreed. Addison keeps improving with each album. He’s creeping into my list of top country performers you mention when someone asks who they should listen to.
March 16, 2021 @ 4:53 pm
Can you say “trying too hard?” Geez Addison, don’t tell me…..show me.
March 16, 2021 @ 5:07 pm
Hats off to him for making a Chevelle the star of the song! I always favored those bow ties over the ol Fixed Or Repaired Daily!
However, it woulda been even cooler to give the narrator oh, say a 69 Charger, possibly painted Orange, with oh perhaps the doors welded shut! Juat sayin.
March 16, 2021 @ 5:42 pm
Agreed. My father had a 70 Chevelle SS. Same blue, but with black racing stripes. Never was a fan of the Found On Road Dead.
March 17, 2021 @ 4:45 am
Im a Ford truck man thats all I drive aint got no bondries I dont compramize Id rather walk ten miles and be down on my luck then ride a round the block in any other pick up truck
March 17, 2021 @ 10:04 am
Remember when Toby Keith said “I’d rather buy a Ford truck than have another truck given to me.”? A true man of the people.
March 17, 2021 @ 9:01 am
Never heard of this guy before. Thanks for the review. Really enjoyed it, it’s a fun listen.
March 17, 2021 @ 9:32 am
Been waiting for you to review Addison’s music for a while. Like you said its a solid, fun listen for it being on the darker side. 100 percent country.
March 19, 2021 @ 7:37 am
super enjoyable and super country record! Strangely the upbeat honky fun songs feel more personal than the bluegrassy ones, but i like the mixed up style.
March 20, 2021 @ 7:06 pm
THIS IS CRAP!