Album Review – Cody Johnson’s “Leather”
You hate to see a country artist from Texas who was convicted in their principles, kept their music country, insisted on cutting good songs despite the financial implications, was authentic to themselves and their roots, and stuck to their guns no matter what was dangled in front of them, ultimately run off to Nashville and sign with some major label, and immediately begin to sell out.
Well Cody Johnson’s not that guy. On his third album for Warner Music Nashville, Cody doubles down on his country roots if anything, strengthens his commitment to quality songs, and even refines his sound with surprising sparsity and depth to the point where you’re nearly stunned at some of the results. Yes this is a big mainstream country release, but many of these songs cut you like the songs of your favorite singer/songwriters.
Cody Johnson didn’t write or co-write any of the songs on the new album Leather. But similar to the stanch traditionalists that came before him like George Strait and Mark Chesnutt, Johnson knows his strengths are in selecting great songs, and singing them with conviction as opposed to trying to do everything himself. Johnson’s ear for a great song is especially in tune on Leather, presenting one great song after another that reminds you why you’re a country fan.
Leather is a great mix of boisterous tracks to seed his live shows with energetic moments such as the super country “That’s Texas” and the arena pleaser “People in the Back,” interspersed with cutting heartbreak songs like the well-written “Watching My Old Flame,” or the introspective “Whiskey Bent” with Jelly Roll. “The Painter,” “Leather,” “Make Me a Mop” all show surprising depth even for Cody, and incredible restraint in how they’re rendered.
Give a slow clap to producer Trent Wilmon for this one. He really challenged Cody, and Cody challenges his audience to not just hear his new songs, but listen to them intently. Sure, some of the songs like “Dirt Cheap” about not selling the family farm is ground that’s been plowed a few times before. But Cody established via the success of his award-winning single “Til You Can’t” that he can take audiences a little deeper, and they will follow him en masse.
Even when you get to Cody’s collaboration with Brooks & Dunn called “Long Live Country Music,” you almost don’t mind the list-tastic writing of the track as much as you would in other circumstances. Since it’s only one song, you can let it slide. It’s the albums of many of Cody’s mainstream contemporaries where list songs are all you hear when it gets to be too much.
The one misstep is the song “Jesus Loves You.” Instead of being an opportunity to forward the true teachings of Christ about forgiveness, this song turns into a strange revenge fantasy about someone who regrets not shooting an intruder into their house. Written by HARDY who loves to write these kinds of songs like “Wait In The Truck” that glorify a distorted view of vigilante justice, this song comes across half cocked. Let’s not forget that Jesus was crucified between two thieves.
Nonetheless, there is lots to love about Cody Johnson’s Leather, and it pushes country music even further in the direction of quality songs and country-sounding arrangements. Cody doesn’t get enough credit for being on the cutting edge of helping to push the mainstream in a positive direction. But it is due to his success with country-sounding songs that other major label stars have been allowed to cut them as well. Now that everyone’s leaning more country, Cody Johnson has to lean country even more. That’s not a bad thing.
1 3/4 Guns Up
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Purchase Cody Johnson’s Leather
November 9, 2023 @ 12:06 pm
Was listening to this this morning, totally loving it, and then Jesus Loves You came on and I wanted to throw the whole thing out the window. Just horrific unchristian sentiment mixed with that keyboard warrior nonsense where the good guy always wins the gunfight. Anyway, the rest of the album is as good as mainstream country gets in 2023. However, I hope Cody and company either go have an experience with the Jesus of the bible or keep his name out of their mouths.
November 9, 2023 @ 4:23 pm
Self defense is not considered a sin anywhere in the Bible. In the Book of Luke Jesus even tells his disciples to take swords when they were sent to spread the Gospel. Jesus also told Peter not to use his sword to defend Him in a scenario.
Maybe your Bible had that chapter ripped out of it.
November 10, 2023 @ 12:38 am
Don’t mix religion with your political beliefs.
November 10, 2023 @ 1:52 am
You would think directly quoting Scripture is political. I don’t believe that Jesus was some brown Bernie Sanders.
November 10, 2023 @ 12:17 pm
The guy in the song isn’t plotting self-defense, he’s planning a revenge killing and acting like Jesus would approve.
here are a few verses for you to check out:
Romans 12:19-21 New King James Version (NKJV)
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. ‘ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:38-39).
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44).
November 10, 2023 @ 1:13 pm
A criminal doesn’t have a right to break into a house again. It’s still illegal and the homeowner still has a legal right to shoot them. Saying if you break in again I will shoot you is not revenge.
If someone broke into your house would you make them hot chocolate or just curl up on the floor and cry? I’m reaching for my Glock and if there is any indication that it might not be safe to hold them at gun point, I’m pulling the trigger. Anyone who breaks into a home knows the risk and they are taking their life into their own hands.
November 10, 2023 @ 1:20 pm
Someone who breaks into a home especially when he knows there are people in there is committing a violent illegal act. It’s expected in that scenario that he’s likely armed and prepared to hurt the occupants. It’s the same as if someone pulled a knife on you in the street. It’s not up to the victim to make a snap judgement if his life is truly in danger or not. That’s why we have laws that say you cannot break into peoples’ homes. You can’t shoot someone for trying to steal your lawnmower off your lawn. I agree with that distinction in the law. But breaking into someone’s home is a serious violent threat. Even more so with your own children in the house. I’m wondering if you even listened to the full song.
November 9, 2023 @ 12:40 pm
I am surprised by the opening couple of paragraphs, because I think you could make a strong argument that Cody actually has sold out. With each album, the more popular he has gotten, the fewer songs he has written. Now he isn’t writing anything, making him a karaoke singer.
He is on the hunt for hit songs that can put him on the radio and into arenas. It has worked.
At one point several years ago I would have called myself a massive Cody Johnson fan. He is capable of good songwriting – his first few albums were bangers. These newer albums are fine, but just don’t have the spark, IMO.
November 9, 2023 @ 12:47 pm
This feels pretty harsh. The less songs Cody has written over the years, the better his songs have become. I think he’s on the hunt for some hit songs, but I think there are more quality songs on this album than on any of his others.
As for being a “karaoke singer,” of course it’s always great when a signer writes his own songs. Cody Johnson has done plenty of that. But if the inspiration isn’t flowing, know when to take a step back and let other do what you can’t.
November 13, 2023 @ 1:13 pm
Totally agree…besides, at this point in his career, isn’t the goal to get on the radio and sell out arenas? I think I heard someplace, “If you got a chance, take it.” That dream won’t chase him back. Love the album.
November 9, 2023 @ 1:35 pm
Strait stopped writing songs for a while because songwriters were pitching superior material.
A man has to know his limitations.
November 9, 2023 @ 2:50 pm
I don’t think this comment is overly harsh, I think the review was overly generous.
November 9, 2023 @ 4:30 pm
By this standard, quite a few country music legends are mere “karaoke singers.”
November 9, 2023 @ 5:14 pm
Don’t get me going lol. I’ve been down this road making this argument on this site before.
November 10, 2023 @ 7:10 am
In an interview with Bobby Bones (I know, we hate him, but he still exists and his huge in the mainstream country space) Cody said I took my songs, and stacked them up against songs these other people wrote, there’s were simply better. Or something to that effect. So he cut them instead. It’s about knowing your strengths and putting out the best product. “Till You Can’t” sat for 10 years in Nashville and noone cut it until somebody played it for Cody.
November 10, 2023 @ 1:19 pm
But isn’t this describing “selling out”? He is saying he can’t write any hit songs anymore so he is just going to sing other people’s songs in order to get hits.
He could have released his album of songs he wrote and stood by whatever the response was, or just waited until he had good enough songs to release an album. But he wants hits now while his name is hot.
I don’t want to come across as hating Cody in these comments, or that this is keeping me up at night or something.
I guess I’m just not sure what the definition of “selling out” in country music is, apparently.
November 11, 2023 @ 6:16 am
He didn’t say he was seeking hits.
November 13, 2023 @ 11:28 am
As Brian Burns said,
I don’t make a record if I ain’t got nothin’ to say,
hey, I don’t make noise if I can’t think of nothin’ to play.
If I’ve got wind blowin’ in my mind,
I don’t go bookin’ no studio time,
I don’t make a record if I ain’t got nothin’ to say.
November 11, 2023 @ 12:09 pm
I agree. The album is good but other then dirt cheap frankly nothing is spectacular spark worthy.
November 9, 2023 @ 12:51 pm
It’s a solid album, and I really love The Painter. I know Cody’s been around a while, but he’s a relatively recent find for me and I love his voice.
Agree with you about Jesus Loves You, but I took it more as funny than anything else. Nonetheless, I’ll certainly skip it in future listens.
November 9, 2023 @ 12:58 pm
I’ve got to be honest, when someone doesn’t write anything on an entire album I start to view them as more of a record company project rather than an ‘artist’, similar to a reality show winner.
November 9, 2023 @ 5:50 pm
not a strait fan then?
November 10, 2023 @ 4:20 am
I’ve got nothing against Strait but there are dozens of acts that I prefer.
November 10, 2023 @ 9:46 am
Just my thought,,,As I myself like the song Jeaus Loves You,,For I ask the ones criticizing the song,What if it was your house an family ?
November 10, 2023 @ 5:46 pm
They would watch them do whatever to their family and then make them a nice meal
Dude probably praises the Texas cops for waiting 45 minutes to act at the school shooting
November 9, 2023 @ 1:01 pm
Yes; really enjoying this great album!
November 9, 2023 @ 1:04 pm
I enjoy the whole album, including Jesus Loves You. But I also wasn’t hoping for some theological tune.
November 9, 2023 @ 1:27 pm
Love the album but what I think most people (prob not trig though) are missing is how Trent is slowly become more and more important in the Texas country/real country Americana whatever scene. Loved his own material hopefully one day he gets back in the studio to do some more of his own stuff.
November 9, 2023 @ 2:09 pm
Based on this review, I will give this one a listen. But I went from someone who used to go see Cody in small clubs (sometimes as the opener) to having little interest in him. Too many cheesy love songs and a general vanilla-ing of his sound. So much seems bland and trite, including the singles I have heard from this one. But I respect Trigger’s taste so will give it a spin.
November 9, 2023 @ 4:13 pm
Based on the comments I listened to Jesus Loves You first. It’s a weird song but it’s about a man’s point of view on protecting his house and keeping his family safe. That final verse talks about having to sell the house and move because his kids can’t sleep because of the trauma of the home invasion.
That is a common feeling after a home invasion! There is nothing wrong with having the view of “if you break into my house again I will shoot you.” That is a legal and moral right of a homeowner to be able to defend his property. The song is weird because it invokes Jesus but it’s not as incongruent as songs from a bunch of other country artists that mix Jesus and drinking and fucking random bitches all in the same song.
If anyone thinks a man shouldn’t defend his own home to protect his own kids I question if you are indeed the owner of a nutsack.
November 9, 2023 @ 4:35 pm
After 2 songs and 1/4 of the way thru ‘People in the Back’ I am done listening. That “boomy” swampy verbose psuedo country is so boring. Jesus Loves You, Whiskey Bent, and People in the Back don’t have good sing-able melodies.
It’s just more of that: “this isn’t really a great song so let’s just put a bunch of lyrics in there and maybe that will help.”
No thanks.
November 9, 2023 @ 5:37 pm
Solid album! I actually found it refreshing that he recorded songs that he didn’t write. I do prefer a mix though. ????
November 9, 2023 @ 7:49 pm
Trigger – would love to see a songlist with the songwriters credited – interested in whose songs he chose if he did not write any of them….
November 10, 2023 @ 7:27 am
https://www.google.com/amp/s/genius.com/amp/albums/Cody-johnson/Leather
Click on “Track Info” for each song, it has the writing credits.
November 9, 2023 @ 9:12 pm
I’m torn on “Jesus Loves You.” On one hand, I like the song, albeit not on heavy repeat. But I was left disappointed in the substance because of the quality of Gospel-inspired music on Cody’s last couple of albums.
“By Your Grace” and “His Name is Jesus” are good songs.
I thought this would be this version’s equivalent, then it took a turn I didn’t expect.
I like this album a lot, though. Favorites are “Leather,” “Work Boots,” “Double Down” and “The Painter.”
November 10, 2023 @ 5:37 am
It is a nonsense for anyone to describe Cody Johnson as a karaoke singer or to suggest he has sold out. Some of the great country singers did not write many or any of their own hit songs (George Strait, George Jones, Mark Chesnutt all come to mind). Cody Johnson is a very good country singer who has chosen his songs well on this album which is a very good COUNTRY album.
November 10, 2023 @ 6:02 am
Agreed! There are many, many talented songwriters out there who don’t sing, but are amazing at the craft of songwriting. Someone needs to sing those songs. Being an artist doesn’t hinge on writing the material. If a singer has a great voice and a great style of delivery, they are most definitely still an artist even if they didn’t write the song. Example: Shel Silverstein’s “Here I Am Again.’ Loretta didn’t write it, but she sure did a great job singing it!
November 10, 2023 @ 6:55 am
This album is a covers album, just not covers of songs you are familiar with.
I love the two American Aquarium covers albums. They are really fun. They aren’t American Aquarium albums, though.
It’s not that there is something inherently wrong with singing others songs, it’s just that Cody is capable of writing good songs. I adore his early albums. And the timing of writing fewer/no songs is quite the coincidence in relation to his popularity and relevant IMO this article’s opening about him not selling out.
I felt like Trigger is suggesting that if you are making actual country music you can’t have sold out, and I don’t get that. You can chase that trend just like any other.
November 10, 2023 @ 9:13 am
There is a reason that I made a concerted effort in the review to highlight how Cody Johnson hadn’t written any of the material on this album. I agree that it is always better when an artist writes at least some of the material on an album. However, this can even be misleading because with country’s “third for a word rule,” all a performer has to do is change a word, and then they get a songwriter credit. This is a very common practice among performers so they rack up songwriting credits they may or may not deserve.
But there is a huge difference between a cover song, a Karaoke singer, and a performer recording an original song that has never been recorded before. When you’re “covering” someone else’ material, it’s a given that the crowd knows that song from someone else, or that it is a “standard.”
That is not what Cody Johnson is doing here. Would it be preferable if there were even two or three writing credits dispersed throughout the album? Sure. But this is not a “covers” album, because none of this material has been “covered” before.
November 11, 2023 @ 4:31 pm
I will never understand the notion that a singer must write the songs they sing to be legit. Some of the best records of all time were sung by folks that did not write the song. Some of the best songs on the best records were written by folks that did not sing them. Some great records have been sung by the songwriter. How much time and effort do you guys spend debating important stuff like ketchup vs mustard on a hot dog? May I suggest that you reel back and enjoy the ride on the vehicle of your choice regardless of where the parts came from.
November 11, 2023 @ 5:15 pm
Willie Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger” is considered by most as the greatest country album of all time and Willie only wrote 1/3 of it. The big single from the album is “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” and it’s a legitimate “cover” song that had been recorded a dozen times before.
November 10, 2023 @ 7:11 am
I always enjoy a Cody Johnson album. He has a great voice, and constantly makes good Texas style, toe tapping, sing along country music. Cody’s always a favorite around the pool or the camp fire. I’ve said for years that Cody Johnson played the kind of music that should be on country radio. I’m happy that it has happened. For him, and for the fans who get to hear quality country music on the radio.
November 10, 2023 @ 7:58 am
probably cutting my nose off to spite my face here, but when I saw that he teamed up Lard Roll, I moved along. I want nothing to do with that clown.
November 10, 2023 @ 9:19 am
Did you listen to the song? That’s the most authentic tone I’ve heard in Jelly Roll’s voice to date. “Lard Roll” is still a human being and has something to offer to the rest of us.
November 10, 2023 @ 7:46 pm
No.
November 10, 2023 @ 9:05 am
Not my favorite, but take this over Isbell,Bryan, or Carlile. I don’t love a song just b/c it was written by the artist. I mean, Yoko…
November 10, 2023 @ 9:12 am
By the way, love him or hate him, I don’t care. Let’s just take a moment to remember that almost a decade ago we were listening to Jerrod Nieman trying to channel Kanye. Cody’s worst song is better than that shit and we should be thankful.
November 10, 2023 @ 11:39 am
I will take a good singer singing a great tune he didn’t write over a good singer singing a poorly written song that he wrote.
People pick the silliest things to play purity on.
November 10, 2023 @ 11:42 am
It feels like COJO tarnished an image he was trying to create with this Jesus loves you song. His youtube church sessions and other songs he’s done were painting a straight laced country guy and seemed like he was trying not to be a complete christian hypocrite. HARDY, MW, Ernest, and a few other people could have done the song and it would have fit them just fine. I feel like that was his biggest “sell out” moment. Him not writing anything or any writing credits, I agree is a little less than exciting, but many others do it and i font view that as the sell out. Using the names of the triune out of context doesn’t sit well with me from this artist.
November 10, 2023 @ 12:52 pm
I ENJOYED THE WHOLE ALBUM AND LOOKED AT JESUS LOVES YOU AS A WAY TO SAY EVERYONE CAN BE FORGIVEN, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE DON’T STILL HAVE FEELINGS TO PROTECT OUR OWN FAMILYS. THE SONG BELONGS TO GOD TO FORGIVE IF YOU ASK TO BE FORGIVEN. I LOVED THE END AS I’M SURE CODY HAS MANY GUNS IN HIS HOME AS HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TOO.
November 10, 2023 @ 6:26 pm
Not sure if what you’re saying is slightly exaggerated. In “Love Without End, Amen”, Strait changed the year to 1981 to reflect his son’s birth year. He changed the river from Brazos to Frio in “All My Exs”. There are a few others as well. Neither of those does he have writing credit.
November 11, 2023 @ 7:56 am
I remember when George Jones sold out and covered Bobby Braddock’s big hit.
November 13, 2023 @ 9:54 am
“Make Me a Mop” is a Song of the Year candidate. Breathtaking its rawness and sincerity.
“Jesus Loves You” is a great tune. I appreciated the anger and frustration balanced with the concept of forgiveness. Jesus did tell his followers to purchase a sword.
November 13, 2023 @ 5:48 pm
Did you like “wait in the truck “ just wondering ????♀️
I don’t see anything wrong with the lyrics of Jesus loves you.
It’s a song ????
May 9, 2024 @ 10:34 am
This comment is in response to the “a strange revenge fantasy about someone who regrets not shooting an intruder into their house.” comment. When I first listened to the song I immediately understood what he was saying. It wasn’t until reading this review that I realized that other people saw it in a different light than I did. The way I saw it was not near a fantasy of killing a man but as you are lucky that Jesus protected you that night otherwise I would have used my power in self defense to shoot you. I have a deep connection with this song because of someone breaking in my own home less than a year before this song was released. I do understand the experience is not a common one nor should it be. I believe the interpretation of this song was very misleading. It is about a Father and a husband whose house was violated by someone with his entire family present to break in. Although the person was arrested and given time, he feels intense anger and possible regret because would his life look like life if he did shoot the person. Would the trauma be avoided? Would my family have the same fear? Would this have changed the fact of having to move in order to sleep better at night? All of these questions I’ve had flowing through my head during my break in. Although this isn’t again something everyone has experienced for a good reason, you can’t help but understand that if your house was broken into you too would feel the same anger and disgust as it is something that will follow you for the rest of your lives.