Cody Johnson’s country is traditional, inasmuch as any radio-ready country in 2016 can be considered “traditional”. It eschews the hip-hop leanings of Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt and the cross-genre wizardry of the Zac Brown Band, instead cranking fiddle, guitar, and a Southern twang to full volume. “Wild As You” is timeless, the pop-heavy end of the genre that fits almost anywhere from the radio to the bar to the stadium. Country, almost uniquely of any airwaves-friendly genre, makes more than its fair share of missteps in the pursuit of pushing the genre forward — “Wild As You,” thankfully, steps confidently and surely over well-worn paths.
Gotta Be Me releases August 5th.