Cody Johnson – Gotta Be Me

Review

Well, grab your boots and saddle up, 'cause Cody Johnson's 'Gotta Be Me' is a wild ride through the heart of Texas country. This ain't no city slicker's idea of cowboy music - it's the real deal, straight from the rodeo circuit to your ears. Johnson's smoky baritone voice wraps around each song like a well-worn lariat, whether he's beltin' out the title track or whisperin' sweet nothings in ballads like 'With You I Am'.

Now, don't you go thinkin' this is just another run-of-the-mill country album. Johnson's got stories to tell, and he tells 'em with the kind of honesty that'll make you sit up and listen. From the dust of the rodeo in 'The Only One I Know (Cowboy Life)' to the bottom of a bottle in 'Chain Drinkin'', every track feels like a page torn from Johnson's own life. And when he brings his mama and daddy in for that bonus track, 'I Can't Even Walk', well, it's enough to make a cowgirl cry.

Produced by Trent Willmon, this 14-track roundup is as Texas as a longhorn steer. The instrumentation is solid country gold, with enough twang to satisfy the traditionalists and enough polish to rope in the new folks. It's the kind of album that makes you want to tip your hat and say, "Now that's country music." So pour yourself a cold one and settle in - Cody Johnson's 'Gotta Be Me' is gonna take you on one heck of a ride. - Daisy