For his first single, JT Hodges has come out of the gate with a song about hunting. It does not involve bird calls or camouflage, but rather the most universal pursuit known to man. In a rollicking song that recalls a hot night in “Hunt You Down,” catch-and-release never sounded so steamy.

Country fans are wanting to hunt Hodges down too, after getting a listen to this infectious summer single. Besides “Hunt You Down,” there’s plenty more to be pursued in JT Hodges, the Texas newcomer’s alternately tender and raucous Show Dog – Universal Music debut. The singer/songwriter worked with a triumvirate of top producers—Mark Wright, Don Cook, and Mark Collie—who collaborated for the first time to bring their find to the greater public. Those aren’t the only Nashville “names” putting their imprimatur on this freshman effort: Hodges’ co-writers include top veterans like Rivers Rutherford, and Vince Gill even adds harmony and a guitar solo to one key ballad. What these insiders...