NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Charles Johnson released his third full-length project, The Ladder, today! After months of dropping singles, this 10-song album comes anticipated by Charles’ fans, new and old. As most artists found themselves in limbo during the pandemic, Charles couldn’t even listen to music. These songs kept calling and he decided to write a new story. He started to meditate, took on another job to book more studio time, got sober, backpacked hundreds of miles, grew a garden and grew as a person. As a result of the undesirable time off and newly sober, Charles put his stories to paper and confronted addiction, temptation, love, loss and more head-on. Stream The Ladder here: https://lnk.to/CJTLAlbum
With influence from his hometown of San Francisco to the mystical red-rock buttes of the West, this record blends folk, Americana and country sounds similar to Jason Isbell and Kacey Musgraves, who have also recorded at the historic Nashville Sound Emporium.
“The only way I was able to make this record was with the support and unconditional love from my wife, my family, and my friends. I wrote the title track ‘The Ladder’ about my wife, and the vows we made to each other when we got married. Through our relationship, I’ve learned just how beautiful life can be when people support and love one another. It has been amazing to see this song connect not only with other couples, but also friends, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, teachers and students. Maybe some people need to be a little better at loving and supporting even just themselves. I hope this song, and this record, will inspire others to use their power for good, to check in, and support the ones they love,” says Johnson.
The Ladder Track List:
1. Busted Lip (Charles Johnson and Molly Brown)
2. Sedona (Charles Johnson, Lacy Green and Adam Wood)
3. Gasoline (Charles Johnson and Dan Fernandez)
4. The Ladder (Charles Johnson and Rob Crosby)
5. Coyote (Charles Johnson and Molly Brown)
6. Underneath The Pines (Charles Johnson, Kyle Schlienger and Billy Montana)
7. Even If I Get Over You (Charles Johnson and Jay Knowles)
8. Barrel Racer (Charles Johnson and Kyle Schlienger)
9. Last Stop Before Heaven (Charles Johnson and Jared Anderson)
10. Blacktop River (Charles Johnson, Rob Crosby and Dan Fernandez)
About Charles Johnson
Independent singer/songwriter, Charles Johnson, spent many years as a jack of all trades. From farmhand to bartender, he committed to earning a living to finance his dreams of becoming an artist. Despite these hardships, he has advanced to the next level of his career. Having grown up in Oakland, California, he garnered inspiration from artists such as Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, Counting Crows, Alanis Morisette, and Boys II Men in his formative years. The West and his cultural heritage play an important role within his musical creativity, with his Mother being born of Native American descent and also having spent much of his childhood on his grandfather’s reservation in Montana. His career began with the release of his first album, Everything I Know in 2015, followed by two EP’s; Cutbank in 2015 and The Ladder in 2019. He had begun to tour across the country and had plans to start a new musical project, but with the Covid 19 Pandemic, his efforts were brought to a screeching halt. Despite facing discouragement, he pressed on and emerged from the other side refreshed and reinvigorated, ready to share his new debut album, which he intends to release later this year. Preceding his album, he plans to release several singles, the first being “Coyote”, which was released in early March of this year and has already accumulated nearly 20 thousand streams. With this song, Charles recalls the struggle of finding one’s place in an industry that is unstable and unforgiving, yet persevering through it all. With his ability to express himself through different genres and styles, his music is still characterized by his honest expression, individual experiences, and vulnerability that reach people in a unique, relatable way. For more information, go charlesjohnsonmusic.com
