Fused with a lot of Texas grit, Cody Jinks with his unique blend of honest, raw and heartfelt country music, sat down with NCR to chat during his recent visit to Michigan.
Cody Jinks is one of Fort Worth, Texas’ best kept secrets. The roots of this working class singer/songwriter shine throughout his lyrics, which he wears on his sleeve like a badge of honor. He writes honest songs about every day working people and situations.
Playing music for over 18 years now, Cody is finally on the rise of being one of America’s best up and coming country music artists. His style of country music is nothing new. It is a throwback to the wonderful sounds of Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, or David Allan Coe.
Country radio has been bogged down with pop country for so long that artists such as Jamey Johnson, Sturgill Simpson, and Chris Stapleton have become extremely popular by playing their own brand of traditional, authentic country music. It is an exciting time right now in country music as the scene is ready for a shift in this direction, with Cody thrown right in the middle of the mix. Cody even mentions in our interview, “What’s old is new again,” hitting the head right on the nail.
On February 19, 2016, Cody played his first ever Detroit area performance to a sold out crowd of 1,100+ at The Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan. Cody is honest, loyal, sincere, kind, modest, and has a wonderful sense of humor; traits rarely found in a person nowadays. National Country Review’s Erik Heemsoth sat down with Cody shortly before taking the stage.
During our conversation, we talked some about him growing up and his years in music, the surprise success of his latest album Adobe Sessions, and touring with Whitey Morgan. He also explains what he likes to do in his downtime and how we are “ready for the times to get better” in country music!
Interview with Cody Jinks:
Adobe Sessions is a brilliant album full of wonderfully written, lyrically deep songs. Cody and his band recorded it at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas, which is located in a secluded country setting surrounded by a 1,700-acre pecan orchard. Locking themselves away in a studio in the middle of nowhere allowed them to get down to business and concentrate on one thing, recording the songs, which they also produced themselves.
Sonic Ranch Studios gave them a more honest, raw, and natural sound. Getting back to the roots of production allowed Cody and his band to pull off a modern-day recording with an old school feel, capturing the very essence of his band. They have crafted a solid country album with a full vintage sound, soulful vocals, and intricate, warm rhythms while layered behind a batch of well-written meaningful lyrics.
People are taking notice, too, as even though Adobe Sessions was released last year, it recently surged back into the top of iTunes country music chart. This is an amazing feat as Cody has done this strictly on his own, without major label support or the help of country music radio. Halfway finished with his next offering, one would not be surprised to see it released on a major label. When asked about this, Cody mentioned that he’s been at it for so long that, he is not afraid to keep going at it DIY style, but also that he is not against the help or support of a record label either.
Our photographer, Chuck Marshall, was on hand for the show at The Crofoot. Here are some of his images from that night.
Cody Jinks on-line: