Sometimes it seems like country has forgotten its wild roots – or least outgrown them, changing as it has to reflect an ever-evolving world. Then there’s a guy like Colby Acuff. A fourth generation Idaho native with a rugged spirit true to his mountain home, honest-to-a-fault lyrics and a sound as raw as the remote wilderness, Acuff’s untamed brand of country stands proudly apart in today’s format, pure and untouched by modern gimmicks.

Self-taught and largely self-contained, he’s already used it to find success on his own terms – and with new major-label backing from Sony Music Nashville, plans to do the same nationwide. ... Just don’t expect him to follow the pack.

“If you wanna do something right, you’ve gotta do it yourself,” Acuff says, speaking with the hardscrabble charm of an old-soul troubadour. Hailing from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, a Rocky Mountain oasis near the very top of the continental…