Cody Johnson Drops New Album, Banks Of The Trinity

Cody Johnson is having a year. 

This week’s release of his seventh album, Banks of the Trinity, follows a triumphant showing at the Academy of Country Music Awards, where he took home both Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. At the launch party for Banks of the Trinity new plaques arrived from Warner Brothers Nashville signifying millions more in sales of previous singles and albums, adding to 69 career certifications. In March Johnson drew the biggest audience for a concert in the history of Houston’s NRG Stadium, and in April he headlined Stagecoach at Indio, California, the world’s largest country music festival.

And the year isn’t half over yet. 

It’s been a long, steady climb to the top for the Huntsville, Texas, native known as CoJo, whose breakthrough came in 2017 when he appeared as a last-minute replacement for Old Dominion at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The 16 songs on Banks of the Trinity reflect the roots of that journey and how they shaped the one-time aspiring professional bull rider into the artist he’s become.

“On this album, I wanted to tell the story about my childhood,” Johnson shares on his website. For the album cover he chose a photo of Lawrence’s Grocery Store in rural community of Sebastopol (population less than 200), once a favorite bike-ride destination for a cream soda and a Blue Bell ice cream bar. The title track inspired nostalgic thoughts of growing up near the Trinity River. “When I heard the song ‘Banks of the Trinity’ it was like this portrait showed in my head of memories that I had honestly forgotten,” he recalled. “I had tears in my eyes when I heard it for the first time.”

The closing track, “Yippy Ty Oh Hey Hey,” returns to the Trinity (“When she gets to feelin’ mad, Lord she sure gets deep”) and the hard-fought Western legacy of that land as it’s passed down through generations. Accompanied only by acoustic guitar, it’s a standout showcase for Johnson’s gritty, robust vocal. The bluesy “Time Bomb,” written with longtime producer and songwriter Trent Willmon, covers the setbacks and sacrifices he endured prior to success and the realization that there’s no guarantee it will last (“This rocket I’m on is just a time bomb that’s tickin’”).

But for now anyway CoJo is still enjoying the ride, as reflected in tracks celebrating his life today. While the title of “Kissing a Married Woman” suggests a cheatin’ song, it’s actually a clever tribute to his wife, Brandi, whom he married in 2008. And “Bible for a Boy” expresses his joy in fatherhood. Other standouts include the whimsical “Horseback,” the debut single “I Want You,” and duets with Brothers Osborne (“Foolproof”) and Luke Combs (“Shoot the Bull”).

“Johnson's songs are inhabited by rodeo dreams and women wild as mustangs, beat-up guitars, and lost chances,” C&I wrote in 2023, “all conveyed in a Texas-twanged baritone layered with instrumentals played without distractions — every note supporting the emotion of the story.”  If that’s what brought fans to his shows and the streaming platforms, Banks of the Trinity serves up another round of more of the same: polished variations on the “three chords and the truth” formula that has always defined genuine country, stories of hard work and heartaches and tall tales told from a barstool, all delivered with an authenticity that only comes from lived experience.

Find more, including tour information, at codyjohnsonmusic.com.

Banks of the Trinity Track List

CoJo’s Banks of the Trinity follows other highly successful studio albums through Warner Music Nashville: Ain’t Nothin’ to It, Human: The Double Album, and Leather.

Here’s the track list for Banks of the Trinity:

• “Horseback” (Randy Montana, Wyatt McCubbin, Paul Sikes)
• “Hello Lonesome” (Jimmy Yeary, Seth Mosley, Matt Rogers)
• “Fool Proof,” featuring Brothers Osborne (Jeff Hyde, Jason Scott, Jaren Conrad)
• “Take Me Back (Leave Me There)” (Kelly Archer, Troy Cartwright, Pete Good)
• “Banks of the Trinity” (Rodny Clawson, Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear)
• “I Want You” (Tom Douglas, Tony Lane, Matt Rogers)
• “I Have” (Matt Schuster, Devin Dawson, Adam Yaron)
• “Bible for a Boy (for Jaycee)” (Lydia Vaughn, Beau Bailey, Josh Phillips, Joe Fox, Andrew Stoelzing)
• “Kissing a Married Woman” (Beau Bailey, Josh Phillips, Brock Berryhill, Cole Miracle)
• “Every Man” (Travis Meadows, Gordie Sampson, Drew Kennedy)
• “Motel Miss You” (Ryan Larkins, Seth Mosley, Emma-Lee)
• “Shoot the Bull,” featuring Luke Combs (Ray Fulcher, Casey Brown, Josh Phillips, Drew Parker)
• “Cricket on a Hook” (Josh Phillips, Mark Holman, Jeremy Stover)
• “Time Bomb” (Cody Johnson, Trent Willmon, Noe Quintanilla, Codrick Murphy)
• “Thank Somebody Country” (Jordan Schmidt, Chase McGill, Trannie Anderson, Michael Hardy)
• “Yippy Ty Oh Hey Hey” (Cody Johnson)

PHOTOGRAPHY (All images): Credit Chris Douglas.