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Josh Phillips delivered a moving rendition of an emotional ballad that he wrote and country star Cody Johnson released. The song went on to win the Academy of Country Music’s Song of the Year honor at the 60th ACM Awards earlier this year.
Phillips penned “Dirt Cheap,” which appeared on Johnson’s latest studio album, Leather. He played the award-winning single during a recent episode of God’s Country, a podcast hosted by songwriters and brothers Dan and Reid Isbell.
“That little girl that used to swing right there/ I still see her pink bow in her brown hair/ Runnin' up after one of them long days/ A big smile makin' every little worry fade/ And over there, under that wide oak tree/ Beneath the cross, where my best buddy's buried/ All them huntin' seasons freezin' in a Jon boat/ Me and him, double-barrel and a two-stroke/ And that woman that said yes when I got down on one knee/ Yeah, you can't buy that kind of dirt cheap”
The Isbell brothers shared a clip of Phillips’ performance on God’s Country’s Instagram account “in case anyone needs a tear jerker.” The cover was “one of the highlights” of the episode, Dan and Reid said.
“This week Reid and Dan host ACM song of the year winner and longtime friend Josh Phillips out in God's Country. The three of them right away dive in recapping Turkey season and the play by play of his wife bagging her first ever turkey this season. They discuss Josh's passion of building guns and he shares some of his favorite pieces with Dan and the pricing breakdown for them. He shares the story behind writing ‘Dirt Cheap,’ how it landed with Cody Johnson, and what it was like winning ACM Song of the Year. The episode ends with a gravorite that is likely to make a grown man cry.”
Dan and Reid — who have written music for Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson and others — started their weekly podcast in early January 2024. Some of the first guests to appear on the show include HARDY, Dustin Lynch, Colbie Caillat and others.
“One of our favorite things about country music has always been how intertwined it is with the outdoors,” Dan and Reid Isbell said in a statement when God’s Country launched. They hope to “bring the outdoor enthusiast or country music lover an up close and personal look into the minds of some of the best songwriters and artists of the genre — a place where they can be honest about struggles, relationships, their connection to the outdoors, the music business, family, whatever they feel comfortable talking about. We can’t wait to see where this partnership will lead and who this podcast will reach.”
The iHeartPodcasts/MeatEater show is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, including in the iHeartRadio app. Select country stations will broadcast the show between 7-11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday evenings. Find God's Country here.