Laundry day in the country world…
[Video]
[5.44]
TA Inskeep: An absolutely serviceable, well-sung country record about (sigh) longing for the “good old days,” because there aren’t enough of those. At least Johnson sings it well, and as always Texas country legend Trent Willmon makes it sound great.
[6]
Al Varela: Cody Johnson is at his best as a howling cowboy, really showing off his vocal chops on top of a big instrumental that makes you feel like a cowboy riding your horse to the sunset. Which makes “Take Me Back (Leave Me There)” a bit of an odd fit for him. It’s more in line with what Luke Combs is good at, breezy contemporary-leaning jams with a slight swing to keep your head bobbing. It’s not bad though, Cody Johnson has a high enough floor that him reeling it back and making a simple, groovy “we could still make it work” song is still pleasant to listen to. It doesn’t really capitalize on his strengths though, and he doesn’t quite have the charm that Combs has to make his pleas all that endearing. I don’t get what made this song stand out as opposed to other songs off this album such as “Hello Lonesome”. Still, it’s a sweet little song, one I wouldn’t turn off.
[7]
Jel Bugle: You can have any country song as long as it’s this one, a ho-hum corny tune
[4]
Nortey Dowuona: A flimsy blues song with an otherwise winsome vocal. And by that, I am clearly referring to this song. What, you thought I meant Cody Johnson?
[6]
Alfred Soto: While Tyler Childers has also used organ and a chug-chug rhythm, Cody Johnson hews closer to tradition: he won’t sing a tune about angry koalas. Johnson’s burr doesn’t curdle into Stapletonisms: he’s closer to prime Tim McGraw, who came to live with a song he could inhabit.
[7]
David Allun Jones: The combination of that chugging cowboy strut and the edge-of-Stapleton growl at the fringe of Cody Johnson’s muscular burr adds just the right dose of horny 1:00 AM frustration to convince me of his yearn for that old thang back. “Red wine on a nightstand/In the afterglow of a slow dance” is also a nice lyrical visual. Not so much the limp, radio-edit BS of “blue jeans hanging off of your bedroom chair”. Are his late-night half-chub fantasies sponsored by the Hallmark Channel?
[7]
Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The Tuckers Wetmore and Koes Wetzel of the world have evidently lowered my standards for replacement-level country men; there is nothing notable in Cody Johnson’s performance here but the basic level of rugged competence has me, if not swooning, at least politely applauding. Tips towards further appreciation on account of the chug of those guitars and the rare appreciation the lyric places on the humble bedroom laundry chair.
[6]
Tim de Reuse: All right, Cody. You’ve thought of a mildly clever, memorable lyrical hook. Now you just have to build the song around it. You gotta add at least one other thing. Don’t just mention blue jeans and leave it at that. Come, on, man. You can do it. One thing that’s not blue jeans.
[3]
Charlotte Gaze: Given the choice between taking Cody Johnson and leaving him… you should probably leave.
[3]