If you've been missing the bite and potent songwriting that makes Red Dirt music unique, you're going to love Cody Jinks.
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The first thing you'll notice is his voice. It has that gravelley, authentic texture that country fans are yearning for right now. The second thing you'll notice is how good his songwriting is. These aren't country songs about driving a pickup down a dirt road, needin' the whiskey, yada yada yada — this is potent stuff that explores the side of "country" that the mainstream ignores. Whether or not you live that life, you'll find Jinks' music is easily relatable and intriguing.
Surprisingly, Jinks started his musical career in a genre 180 degrees from country. He used to be the frontman of Unchecked Aggression, a Fort Worth metal band that was active from 1997-2003. When the band broke up, Jinks returned to his roots in country, the music he grew up with. When you listen to his music, you'll hear traces of the metal aggression, though, it's subdued and kept in check with a reverence for Texas country and Red Dirt.
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Start with his 2014 album, Adobe Sessions. The songs have that hybrid of country twang and rock guitars that Texas fans love, and the songwriting is easily Jinks' best to date. The quality of his albums hasn't let up since then, culminating with four straight Top 5 albums: I'm Not the Devil (2016), Lifers (2018), After the Fire (2019) and The Wanting (2019).
Through it all, Jinks remained independent: in the free spirit sense and because he doesn't need big label guidance to make the most of his
What he sounds like: The most manly Red Dirt music you've heard in a while.
Required listening "Cast No Stones", a gritty country waltz about minding your own biscuits.
This article was originally published in 2016. It was updated in June of 2020.
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