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Russell Jamie Johnson finds his sound on single, "Put Me Out"

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Back with his sophomore single, Russell Jamie Johnson’s newest “Put Me Out” has been in constant rotation for us. Read along as we break down our complete thoughts on the track, as well as a background on the artist as well.

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Singer, songwriter, and performer Russell Jamie Johnson has quickly proven himself to be a jack of all trades. When he’s not acting or performing stunts, he’s based out of New York City where he’s writing and performing regularly with his band. On this single, his Bob Dylan and The Smiths inspirations have come through, but there’s  still a hefty dose of originality from the artist.


Considered an “Alternative Rock Punk Cowboy”, Russell is wearing his heart on his sleeve within his deep and complex lyricism, but also the hints of romanticism he injects into his overall sound. Building off of his debut single “Sarah”, in which  he commemorates a friend he lost to depression and drug addiction, comes this latest single “Put Me Out” that continues on with imagery-filled lyrics and a hopeful atmosphere.


From the artist himself, Russell has revealed “Put Me Out was written while I was living in Boston. It was late and I was waiting for a girl I was pining for. She had always come and went as she liked and was indifferent to me, but I could not say the same about her. This relationship was an addiction. Nothing about it was redeeming or healthy, but this left me wanting something, just a few more minutes, even though the feeling would take another piece of me when she left.”

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Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with the origin story of the track, we’ve got to let you know that is absolutely a song we’ll be recommending. A wonderful hybrid blend of country rock and alternative fusion has transcended genre as a whole and carved out a wonderful niche of music for himself. We’ll be honest, the standout here are Russell’s vocals and delivery, but almost taking a backseat to his smoothness is a riveting and focused instrumentation that strings the song along from start to finish.


Although this is just his second officially released single, we think that his sound is exactly where it needs to be. So many artists experiment and strive to find what’s right for them, but Russell’s demeanor and how he carries himself on “Put Me Out” have set the stage and base for a sound that we’d like him to continue to create off of. Our new hopes and wishes are that there’s more just like this to come, maybe even an EP or full length album towards the end of the year. In the meantime though, we’ll undoubtedly be streaming “Put Me Out”.


Whether you’re reading this in the morning or the night, this is a track for all occasions. We’ve included the link to stream and also the music video link for you to watch. Both are fantastic, check them out!

Listen to “Put Me Out”

Music Video for “Put Me Out”


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