By the time Michael Cochren walked into our studio, I’d already spent a week with, Cochren & Co’s new release, Runs In The Blood on repeat. This is Cochren & Co.’s third album, but it feels like a creative leap. It’s soulful without losing its country roots, nostalgic without sounding dated, and full of the kind of hooks that stick with you.

Michael laughed as he explained that none of it happened overnight. “It’s been a long process… almost three years. When an album comes out, I immediately start working on the next one.”

Instead of trying to recreate what had worked before, he picked the song “The Lows” and decided to see where it could lead.

“It’s got this grooving bass line… almost like a funk thing. I said, ‘Let’s start there and jump off into the deep end.'”

The deeper he went, the more the album began sounding like… well, Michael.

Country from growing up in southern Indiana, soul music from his dad. soft rock from his mom’s nightly Delilah radio listens. Southern Gospel from his grandparents and, as he happily admitted with a laugh, a healthy dose of NSYNC* and Britney Spears.

“There was a boy bander in your heart,” I joked.

“There is,” he laughed. That’s what makes Runs In The Blood so enjoyable. It doesn’t chase one style. It simply embraces everything that shaped him. “I wanted all my influences to bleed into this album.” Mission accomplished.

The music may be bigger this time around, but the heart behind it remains familiar. Many of the songs grew out of a season of change. Michael and his wife recently welcomed their first child after praying for eight years, and life looks a little different than it did when the last record was released.

“I’m in my 30s now… I’m an actual adult. I have a little baby now. So who am I? What’s made me what I am? Where have I come from? Where am I going?”

Those questions became songs, but not in a way that feels heavy. Instead, the record moves naturally between celebration, reflection, gratitude and joy. Michael realized he wasn’t simply writing about himself anymore.

“These are not just my stories. These are a lot of people’s stories.”

That idea became the heartbeat of Runs In The Blood.

“I wanted to invite everybody into that… talking about heritage and family… where I’ve been, but also where I’m going as a result of what runs in the blood of Jesus.”

One of my favorite moments came when we started talking about fatherhood. Michael was refreshingly honest. “My wife and I prayed for eight years for a baby. It’s so crazy how you can get your prayer answered and then go, ‘Is this the right thing?’ Because this is really hard. But God is showing us some amazing things in this season.”

It’s that last sentence that seems to define where he is today. There’s gratitude woven through this entire record, and you hear it just as clearly in conversation as you do in the music.

Of course, we also spent plenty of time talking about what’s next.

Festival season is in full swing, a fall tour with Zach Williams is on the calendar, and if our conversation is any indication, Michael is enjoying every minute of it. “I just try to approach every day with this of like, ‘What a gift it is to do this.'”

That joy carries into the performances he recorded for us at CCM Studios.

The full conversation is full of laughter, great stories, and plenty of behind-the-scenes moments that didn’t fit here. If Runs In The Blood is already on your playlist, you’re going to love hearing how it came together. And if you haven’t heard it yet… our CCM Spotlight is a pretty great place to start.