Cody Jinks

One Liner: Outlaw country guy from Denton
Wikipedia Genre: Thrash metal, Country, Outlaw Country 
Spotify Says Similar To: William Clark Green and Josh Ward
Home: Denton, Texas

Poster Position: 9
Slot: ?

Thoughts: Huh.  I was just talking to someone the other day and saying that the ACL folks apparently got all of their country love out in one big splurge last year, since nothing on this lineup is anywhere near the Stapleton/Musgraves/Willie super day from last year.  Well, I obviously didn't know about this dude, who is some gravelly country darkness right here. His Spotify bio says that he fronted a Fort Worth-based thrash metal outfit called Unchecked Aggression before going back to his country roots.  That is a pretty weird career path.  I just went to check out that band, and I think he made a good choice to leave it behind in favor of this new thing.  Only one song with more than 2k streams ("Smell of Blood") which sounds like some dudes trying to combine Metallica with Pantera in their grandma's basement.

But this is pretty traditional country, bending toward an outlaw country sound at times, but not any of the new Nashville BS country stuff, with all the raditude and platitudes.  Five albums, with 2010's Less Wise sounding more like a small-time, DIY, Americana album that would be played on KHYI and KOKE on rotation (especially "Hippies and Cowboys") but the two more recent albums (Adobe Sessions from 2015 and I'm Not the Devil from 2016) are the better crafted, but still rough hewn, albums of "new" traditional country sounds.  Think Stapleton or Jamey Johnson.  His most popular track, by almost 2x, is from that Adobe Sessions album, called "Loud and Heavy," and has 5.2 million streams.

That voice reminds me of one of the Nashville guys, but I don't know their music well enough to be able to recall what his name is.  HIs most recent song on Spotify is a single re-make of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" that snags a page out of the Sturgill Simpson playbook to cover a popular, older, non-country track but give it the heavy steel guitar and husky-voiced treatment.

I like it, although I dig that song so its a pretty easy win to get me on board with that one. Some of these tunes feel a bit cheesy, but then I got to "David," and was reminded of some of the best Texas country songs that make you sad with a good old fashioned lament.  That one kind of reminded me of "Lydia" from Slaid Cleaves, a definite favorite for me.  That one is good stuff.  I'm finding the same feeling on a lot of these songs as well. I just got caught up in the guitar solo of "Cast No Stones," from the Adobe Sessions album, which got me all caught up and ready to bite my bottom lip for some air guitar pickage.  That song is his second most listened-to track on Spotify, at 2.9 million.

Now, if you aren't into that new-classic country sound that these kinds of guys are trying to create, then this stuff won't be for you, but I like it.  Although I definitely think the two newer albums are much better than the older stuff (2013's Blacksheep, 2012's 30, or 2010's Less Wise).  Go check out the Adobe Sessions disc and thank me later.

Will I go See Him Though?  Yeah, I think I will.