Leather (album)

Leather
Leather
Studio album by Cody Johnson
Released	November 3, 2023
Genre	Country
Length	40:19
Label	Warner Music Nashville
Producer	Trent Willmon
Cody Johnson chronology
Singles from Leather
	"The Painter"; Released: August 11, 2023; "Dirt Cheap"; Released: March 11, 2024; "I'm Gonna Love You"; Released: September 27, 2024;

Leather is the ninth studio album and third major-label album by American country music singer Cody Johnson. It was released on November 3, 2023, via Warner Music Nashville,^[1] "The Painter" was issued in August 2023 as the lead single.

Content

Johnson stated that the 12 tracks released on November 3, 2023, were the intended first part of a double album.^[1] The deluxe edition was released a year later on November 1, 2024, and included a set of 13 additional tracks.^[2] Johnson co-wrote three of the album's 25 tracks and it was produced by Trent Willmon.^[2]^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Entertainment Focus	^[4]

Matt Bjorke of Roughstock wrote that "while Cody's uptempo gems are fantastic, he really shines on ballads where he can showcase his conversational storytelling vocals", highlighting "Whiskey Bent" with Jelly Roll and "Leather".^[5] Entertainment Focus's James Daykin felt that Johnson "delves into themes deeply rooted in country traditions, weaving tales of love, loss, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a cowboy" and called it "a cohesive and emotionally charged album".^[4]

Leather won Album of the Year at the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 20, 2024.^[6]

Track listing

*Leather* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Work Boots"	Jason Afable Brett Beavers Canaan Smith	2:49
2.	"Double Down"	Clint Daniels Jeff Hyde Adam James	3:09
3.	"Watching My Old Flame"	Daniels Kat Higgins Wynn Varble	3:24
4.	"That's Texas"	Erik Dylan Wyatt McCubbin Andy Sheridan	2:43
5.	"Dirt Cheap"	Josh Phillips	3:59
6.	"Jesus Loves You"	Michael Hardy Mark Holman Chase McGill	4:51
7.	"Whiskey Bent" (featuring Jelly Roll)	Rocky Block James Mikey Reaves	3:16
8.	"Leather"	Ian Munsick Rivers Rutherford Jeremy Spillman	3:13
9.	"People in the Back"	Devin Dawson Austin Taylor Smith Mark Trussell	2:39
10.	"Long Live Country Music" (featuring Brooks & Dunn)	Wade Kirby Phil O'Donnell Trent Willmon	3:24
11.	"The Painter"	Benjy Davis Higgins Ryan Larkins	3:31
12.	"Make Me a Mop"	Jessi Alexander Connie Harrington Allen Shamblin	3:16
Total length:			40:19

Deluxe edition disc two track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Overdue"	Marv Green Jake Worthington	2:45
2.	"The Fall"	Ray Fulcher Bobby Pinson Jeremy Stover	3:17
3.	"How Do You Sleep at Night?"	Zach Abend Nick Donley Hardy Ryan Hurd	3:13
4.	"Country Boy Singin' the Blues"	Johnson Matt Rogers Ben Stennis	3:52
5.	"Georgia Peaches"	Johnson Jody Bartula Jake Mears	3:53
6.	"Damn Good Life"	Alexander Frank Rogers Jonathan Singleton	3:16
7.	"C'mon Cowgirl"	Aby Gutierrez James Jonathan Stark	3:17
8.	"I Wished It Was You"	Abend Troy Cartwright Davis	4:03
9.	"Take It Like a Man"	Adam Craig M. Rogers Jordan Walker	2:48
10.	"I'm Gonna Love You" (with Carrie Underwood)	Chris Stevens Kelly Archer Travis Denning	3:08
11.	"Made in the USA"	Emily Falvey James Stennis	3:47
12.	"Over Missin' You"	Helen Cronin Jesse Raub Jr. Patrick Savage Sean Scott White	3:28
13.	"The Mustang"	Johnson Wesley Bayliss	4:56
Total length:			1:26:00

Charts

Chart performance for *Leather*
Chart (2023)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[7]	88
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)^[8]	10
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[9]	55
UK Album Downloads (OCC)^[10]	51
US Billboard 200^[11]	18
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[12]	5

Accolades

Year-end lists
Publication	Rank	List
Billboard	3	The 10 Best Country Albums of 2024^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b Casey Young (July 25, 2023). "Cody Johnson Announces New Single "The Painter" Is Dropping Next Month, Confirms Deluxe Album Leather Coming This Fall". Whiskey Riff. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Lorie Hollabaugh (September 30, 2024). "Cody Johnson Bulks Up 'Leather' With 13 Extra Tracks On New Deluxe Edition". Music Row. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ Maxim Mower (November 3, 2023). "Leather by Cody Johnson – Lyrics & Meaning". Holler. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
^ ^a ^b James Daykin (November 2, 2023). "Cody Johnson – Leather album review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
^ Bjorke, Matt (November 3, 2023). "Album Review: Cody Johnson – Leather". Roughstock. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
^ Carena Liptak (November 20, 2024). "No One Was More Pumped for Cody Johnson's CMA Win Than Jelly Roll". Taste of Country. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 November 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1758. Australian Recording Industry Association. November 13, 2023. p. 6.
^ "ARIA Top 40 Country Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
^ "Cody Johnson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
^ "Cody Johnson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
^ "Cody Johnson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
^ "Staff Picks: 10 Best Country Albums of 2024". Billboard. December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

[WR-1] Casey Young (July 25, 2023). "Cody Johnson Announces New Single "The Painter" Is Dropping Next Month, Confirms Deluxe Album Leather Coming This Fall". Whiskey Riff. Retrieved July 25, 2023.

[Music_Row-2] Lorie Hollabaugh (September 30, 2024). "Cody Johnson Bulks Up 'Leather' With 13 Extra Tracks On New Deluxe Edition". Music Row. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[3] Maxim Mower (November 3, 2023). "Leather by Cody Johnson – Lyrics & Meaning". Holler. Retrieved November 4, 2023.

[EF-4] James Daykin (November 2, 2023). "Cody Johnson – Leather album review". Entertainment Focus. Retrieved November 4, 2023.

[5] Bjorke, Matt (November 3, 2023). "Album Review: Cody Johnson – Leather". Roughstock. Retrieved November 4, 2023.

[6] Carena Liptak (November 20, 2024). "No One Was More Pumped for Cody Johnson's CMA Win Than Jelly Roll". Taste of Country. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[7] "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 November 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1758. Australian Recording Industry Association. November 13, 2023. p. 6.

[8] "ARIA Top 40 Country Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

[ac_BillboardCanada_Cody_Johnson-9] "Cody Johnson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2023.

[ac_UKDigital_-10] "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

[ac_Billboard200_Cody_Johnson-11] "Cody Johnson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2023.

[ac_BillboardCountry_Cody_Johnson-12] "Cody Johnson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2023.

[13] "Staff Picks: 10 Best Country Albums of 2024". Billboard. December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

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v t e Cody Johnson
Discography
Studio albums	Ain't Nothin' to It Human: The Double Album Leather
Singles	"On My Way to You" "'Til You Can't" "Human" "The Painter" "Long Live Cowgirls" "Dirt Cheap" "I'm Gonna Love You"

v t e CMA Album of the Year
1967−1970	There Goes My Everything – Jack Greene (1967) Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison – Johnny Cash (1968) Johnny Cash At San Quentin – Johnny Cash (1969) Okie from Muskogee – Merle Haggard and the Strangers (1970)
1971−1980	I Won't Mention It Again – Ray Price (1971) Let Me Tell You About a Song – Merle Haggard and the Strangers (1972) Behind Closed Doors – Charlie Rich (1973) A Very Special Love Song – Charlie Rich (1974) A Legend in My Time – Ronnie Milsap (1975) Wanted! The Outlaws – Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser (1976) Ronnie Milsap Live – Ronnie Milsap (1977) It Was Almost Like a Song – Ronnie Milsap (1978) The Gambler – Kenny Rogers (1979) Coal Miner's Daughter – Various artists (1980)
1981−1990	I Believe in You – Don Williams (1981) Always on My Mind – Willie Nelson (1982) The Closer You Get – Alabama (1983) A Little Good News – Anne Murray (1984) Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind – George Strait (1985) Lost in the Fifties Tonight – Ronnie Milsap (1986) Always And Forever – Randy Travis (1987) Born to Boogie – Hank Williams Jr. (1988) Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1989) Pickin' on Nashville – The Kentucky Headhunters (1990)
1991−2000	No Fences – Garth Brooks (1991) Ropin' the Wind – Garth Brooks (1992) I Still Believe in You – Vince Gill (1993) Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles – Various artists (1994) When Fallen Angels Fly – Patty Loveless (1995) Blue Clear Sky – George Strait (1996) Carrying Your Love with Me – George Strait (1997) Everywhere – Tim McGraw (1998) A Place in the Sun – Tim McGraw (1999) Fly – The Dixie Chicks (2000)
2001−2010	O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Various artists (2001) Drive – Alan Jackson (2002) American IV: The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash (2003) When the Sun Goes Down – Kenny Chesney (2004) There's More Where That Came From – Lee Ann Womack (2005) Time Well Wasted – Brad Paisley (2006) It Just Comes Natural – George Strait (2007) Troubadour – George Strait (2008) Fearless – Taylor Swift (2009) Revolution – Miranda Lambert (2010)
2011−2020	My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean (2011) Chief – Eric Church (2012) Based on a True Story... – Blake Shelton (2013) Platinum – Miranda Lambert (2014) Traveller – Chris Stapleton (2015) Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church (2016) From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton (2017) Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves (2018) Girl – Maren Morris (2019) What You See Is What You Get – Luke Combs (2020)
2021−2030	Starting Over – Chris Stapleton (2021) Growin' Up – Luke Combs (2022) Bell Bottom Country - Lainey Wilson (2023) Leather - Cody Johnson (2024)