Starting the week off with a bang.
It’s been a week full of surprise drops across the genre. In case you missed it, on Saturday night during the celebration of the 10th anniversary of February 28th, 2016, in Fort Worth, Koe Wetzel surprised fans with his These Are Going Nowhere: A Mixtape By Koe Wetzel EP, which dropped exclusively on YouTube. Even more shockingly, Sturgill Simpson, in typical fashion, shocked everyone by releasing the entirety of his upcoming Johnny Blue Skies record, Mutiny After Midnight, to YouTube nearly two weeks before the album was set to release on CD, vinyl and cassette only on March 13th.
Not to be outdone, Cody Johnson had a surprise of his own up his sleeve. With no warning whatsoever, the Texas native just released a brand new single, “Blame Texas,” this morning.
Surprisingly, given CoJo’s past history of teasing songs for what oftentimes feels like weeks before an official release, “Blame Texas” did not receive a single social media post. The track simply appeared on streaming services and Johnson’s YouTube channel at midnight before finally getting an announcement this morning with Johnson noting how much fun he had in the studio recording it:
“We had so much fun cuttin’ this one in the studio, I couldn’t keep it to myself. Had to let y’all have it.”
As for “Blame Texas” itself, it sounds like a return to form of sorts for Johnson. Written by Nashville staples, Ashley Gorley, Josh Phillips, Beau Bailey and Casey Brown, the track comes out firing with a twangy electric guitar riff and some driving fiddle. Playing with some Lone Star State stereotypes, from taking George Strait over Elvis to finding a way to put a fiddle in every song, Johnson and Co. set the tone for this tongue-in-cheek heartbreaker beautifully.
“If I chase my tequila with an ice-cold beer, blame Texas
If I swear there ain’t no better place than here, blame Texas
If you think I say a few words wrong
And find a way to put fiddle in every song
If I take George Strait over Elvis, blame Texas”
Immediately diving into the chorus, it’s pretty much everything that you would want from CoJo. Incredibly melodic and filled to the brim with fiddle and steel throughout, Johnson admits that he can’t blame Texas for his old flame leaving, providing a nice flip on the song’s title in the final line.
“But if you wonder why she packed all her things
Left me back here alone in the Lonestar state
Yeah, I messed up a good thing again
Guess I just can’t help it
She loved the wide-open skies, no she didn’t wanna leave
Did her wrong, now she’s gone and it’s all on me
Coming back, naw, she ain’t
Wish I could but I can’t blame Texas”
Though he kept himself quite busy throughout 2025 with the release of his highly-anticipated cover of “Travelin’ Soldier” as well as hopping on some tracks with the likes of Brandon Lake, CeCe Winans and Michael Martin Murphey, “Blame Texas” marks the first truly new release from the “Dirt Cheap” singer since the dropping the deluxe edition of Leather in November 2024.
Given the fact that Johnson has not only confirmed that a new album is on the way featuring collaborations from Luke Combs, Brothers Osborne and more as well as a special rock project with “one of his rock idols,” it seems as if we’re in for a huge year release-wise from the reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. If the rest of the songs on these upcoming projects sound anything like “Blame Texas,” it’s safe to say that we’re in for an absolute treat whenever he decides to pull the trigger on their release.
“Blame Texas”
Cody Johnson Tour Dates
March 6 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – PPG Paints Arena with Kip Moore & Walker Montgomery
March 7 – Baltimore, Maryland – CGF Bank Arena with Kip Moore & Walker Montgomery
March 22 – Houston, Texas – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with Jon Pardi & Randy Houser
March 28 – Little Rock, Arkansas – Simmons Bank Arena with Kip Moore & Carter Faith
April 10 – Bossier City, Louisiana – Brookshire Grocery Arena with Kip Moore
April 24 – Indio, California – Stagecoach
May 2 – Clemson, South Carolina – Death Valley (Clemson Stadium)
May 9 – Des Moines, Iowa – Casey’s Corner
May 30 – Rosemont, Illinois – Allstate Center
July 11 – Cavendish, Prince Edward Island – Cavendish Beach Music Festival
July 17 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena with Drew Baldridge
July 18 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena with Ian Munsick & Walker Montgomery
July 25 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena
August 8 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Paycom Center
August 22 – Knoxville, Tennessee – Food City Center
August 29 – Saint Paul, Minnesota – Grand Casinoa Arena
September 12 – Tacoma, Washington – Tacoma Dome
