Cody Johnson Hits His Stride With Gotta Be Me

All Cody Johnson has ever needed to do is reel himself in a little bit during the songwriting process. He's always come off as something of a salesman in his music, like he has to convince us to believe he's country, when that really shouldn't be necessary considering what he's done in his life. Cody Johnson is a real bull rider, and has worked at a prison during his life, keeping track of inmates on horseback. His story is very western, and he likes to make mention of that, but I'd always thought he was trying to sell it to listeners a little too much, like he's the Justin Moore of the Texas scene (only with a lot more talent).

I think he's found the sweet spot between selling himself and representing who he is on his new album, Gotta Be Me. The only downside to this record is the dumb title, as far as I can tell. Most striking to me are the instrumental arrangements. Johnson and producer Trent Willmon did a fantastic job of picking which traditional instruments to use in each song, often creating such an overwhelmingly country sound that Johnson's smooth, powerful voice paired perfectly and maximized the potential of each individual song.

Lead single "With You I Am" has been released for quite awhile now, and while I really like the song, it initially had me worried about the direction of Gotta Be Me. Too many times we've seen the narrative of a staunchly traditional artist finally caving to trends to chase stardom. "With You I Am" is not a sellout song, by any means, but it is the most radio-friendly song of his career.

One listen to the first few songs and all of my worries disappeared. This album is pure fun, pure traditional country, from the first second to the last. There are some classic country tropes, but when the songs are composed and sung well, I don't see that as a detriment. It's hard to pick real standout songs when each track is so catchy and well written, but "Wild As You" and "The Only One I Know (Cowboy Life)" stuck with me between listens. "Wild as You" has to be one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard, and if listeners choose to buy one song to see if they like Cody Johnson or not, that'd be the one to purchase. I also thought that "Kiss Goodbye" was a nice twist on spoken word verses. Johnson obviously isn't Red Sovine, but who is?

If Gotta Be Me has any missteps, it's in decisions outside of the songs themselves. While "Gotta Be Me" is a nice tune, and the idea of it as the title track makes sense in regard to Johnson's life, it looks really hokey as an album title. I also don't like the odd logo sitting above Johnson's name. It doesn't really look like anything in particular and sticks out in a jarring kind of way. These decisions obviously don't affect the quality of music, but seem odd nonetheless.

After a handful of albums, Cody Johnson has finally found his sweet spot with Gotta Be Me, and with his avid fan base supporting him, expect to start seeing his name pop up more often in the country music landscape. 8/10

Standout tracks:
"With You I Am"
"The Only One I Know (Cowboy Life)"
"Kiss Goodbye"
"Wild as You"
"Every Scar Has a Story"