Album Review – Cody Jinks “Adobe Sessions”
Looking like a hippy, writing like an Outlaw, sounding like a Texas country stalwart, and touring like there’s no tomorrow, the name Cody Jinks belongs smack dab in the mix when you’re speculating on who is the best and the brightest in the current crop of insurgent country songwriters.
From Ft. Worth, TX, the first thing you notice about Cody’s music is that familiar “somewhat country, somewhat rock” sound indicative of Texas country. The arrangements are sensible, with electric guitar comprising the foundation, though not being afraid to mix in some steel and other country elements. Cody’s voice is twangy, but not too overstated. You do get the feeling he wants you to know he’s country, but he’s not trying to prove to you how country he is as some who make the Texas circuit in their perfect Wrangler shirts and jeans do; he’s a lot more laid back than that. But this is country music, both honoring and indicative, while sweetening the sound enough to appeal to a wider ear.
To be perfectly honest, the music set to Cody Jinks’ songs is not what separates him from the herd. It doesn’t really take any chances. It’s not bad, but it’s not really an asset either. It’s that safe Texas country approach. The songwriting is what makes Cody Jinks contrast from the crowd in both Texas country and beyond.
Adobe Sessions—Cody’s 4th release overall—starts off in a way that will get some listeners’ blood pumping, while others will wonder if its worth their effort to listen further. Whatever commercial aspects this album has, they’re front loaded at or near the the beginning, while the deepest and most creative expressions bring up the caboose.
“What Else Is New” comes from the long line of country songs that take a narrow look at current events from the rural perspective of wanting to simplify life by focusing on one’s own struggles, while the guitar hooks and changes seek out fairly familiar modes. The expressions of the second track “Mamma Song” go somewhat deeper, but it still doesn’t offer much of a scintillating effort musically to deliver something decidedly original. By the time you reach “Cast No Stones,” you start to wonder if Cody Jinks is shooting to create a persona instead of relinquishing his original creative expression, and despite a few interesting lines in “Loud and Heavy,” this is another song that can lend to this burgeoning theory.
But there’s so much more here, and whether you find the sweet spot of Cody’s music in the first few tracks or they leave you wanting, the audience is encouraged to continue to listen, and to listen deeper. “We’re Gonna Dance” and “Birds” is where you start to really see the songwriting capacities of Cody Jinks rise to the top. “David” is deftly-written in the classic storyteller sense about a policeman who inadvertently causes the death of an old friend. “Me or You” is where the production and music rise to benefit the composition, while “Folks” is where Cody Jinks shows you an entirely new aspect to his abilities as a songwriter. “Dirt” is the most country track on the album set in the depressionary era, and “Rock and Roll” really puts a personal stamp on this effort, and one that leaves the listener with a lasting impact.
Adobe Sessions is a really solid album, and one that some are saying marks an early entry for Album of the Year. I would like to see a more consistent effort before handing out such accolades. Jinks, though very much a mature artist, feels like he needs to decide between being sensible or being substantive. Trying to play the lines between the two could mean he never really appealing in large part to either. What’s hard to deny however is his hunger for songwriting that is exhibited heavily on Adobe Sessions, and is worth a strong consideration even if nothing else is.
1 3/4 of 2 Guns Up.
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January 18, 2015 @ 8:25 pm
downloading …. I’ll need a couple days to comment.
January 18, 2015 @ 8:28 pm
Thanks for reviewing this one Trigg… I’m glad that it’s getting some exposure on your site.
I’m a huge Jinks fan and picked up this album as soon as it came out. Stand out tracks for me were Momma’s Song, Cast No Stones, David & Dirt.
January 18, 2015 @ 9:05 pm
I gotta agree. Been a huge Jinks fan for years now and this is definitely his best effort so far. I loved his re-recordings of Mama’s song and Cast No Stones, and my favorites from this album besides those two are Birds and David. Very solid album.
January 18, 2015 @ 10:32 pm
I really like the music in “We’re Gonna Dance”, especially the intro. It reminds me of everything I used to enjoy about the country-rock mix before bro-country came along.
The laid-back lyrical style is also a pleasure to hear.
January 19, 2015 @ 2:14 am
Thanks for highlighting this release, he’s a new name to me. Love it, downloading as I type this!
It’s definitely Two Guns Up from me to Trig for introducing me to these people. I get to hear some great new music ….. but it costs me a fortune! Ha ha!!
January 19, 2015 @ 7:13 am
Great review, Triggerman!! I’m happy to see this man getting some much deserved exposure! I love everything that Jinks has ever done. I first heard about him on We Hate Pop Country and have been hooked ever since!
January 19, 2015 @ 7:38 am
Holy smokes, thanks for bringing this guy to my attention.
January 19, 2015 @ 7:56 am
Dammit, Tigger. This is some good stuff. I went to Cody’s site to dig a little deeper into his stuff. “Cast No Stones” is my personal standout track, so far. Hit real close to home, as I grew up in a VERY religious home, and went to one of “those” churches. Y’know, the kind. “If I spend enough time diggin’ through everyone else’s closets for skeletons, maybe no one will notice the graveyard in my basement…” Yeah, that kind. Thanks for once again turning me on to some great music I may not have ever heard of if not for you and the work you do here on SCM. Keep up the GREAT work, and keep ’em comin’!
Oh, and if SCM merch ever becomes a reality, I’ll be first in line to buy and proudly wear a shirt here in the belly of the Beast…
January 19, 2015 @ 9:13 am
All of the melodies and his voice are generic 90’s pop country shit. Borrrring.
January 19, 2015 @ 3:10 pm
Cody Jinks’ voice and music is generic pop country shit? That is something I never thought I would hear.
The unique sound to his voice is one of the things that sets him apart in my mind Deep and gravelly sounding but so effortless, non-strained and laid-back.
The song that introduced me to Cody Jinks was his 2013 single ‘Hippies and Cowboys’, where he sings:
“I’ve never been a part of any musical scenes. I ain’t just talking Nashville if you know I mean.
They don’t write about me in their magazines. I don’t ask for new reviews on the songs that I sing.”
Cody Jinks stays pretty independent even within the boundaries of Texas country music. I definitely recommend his past works to any other readers.
January 19, 2015 @ 11:27 am
He’s a bad ass songwriter. A little awkward at times, but it just adds to the charm. 😀
This is my 4th favorite album of his. I don’t say that to put this one down, because it’s a great album, I say it, to say that you REALLY need to check out the other albums if you like this one.
January 19, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
Can’t preview here at work, but I’m assuming “Cast No Stones” is just a re-recorded version of the song from his Cast No Stones album? I’m looking forward to picking this album up soon.
January 19, 2015 @ 1:33 pm
Yeah it is. We’re Gonna Dance is also a re-recording from Collector’s Item.
January 19, 2015 @ 1:26 pm
I’ve heard a few of his songs on the radio. Thought they were decent at first, but the songs became boring rather quickly and began to sound the same. Maybe it’s just bad single choices.
January 19, 2015 @ 1:53 pm
Great album front to back. A friend and I got an awesome chance to see him this past week. It was my third time. We are lucky to have this great small highway bar in a town just west of Omaha. Capacity of maybe 100 people, we enjoyed beers, stories, and music with a grand total of maybe 60 others. We bought the album and had to drive from Omaha to Manhattan, KS. We made the trip down and back listened to only that album. Love it, unbelievable through the plains driving tunes.
January 30, 2015 @ 10:12 pm
Thanks for turning me onto to Cody. I have had the album on regular play since first reading your review.
January 19, 2015 @ 3:00 pm
been following him for over a year now and was worried about his sound changing. This album did not disappoint!! I’ll be seeing him on Friday!!!
January 19, 2015 @ 5:33 pm
Glad to see you spotlight Cody Jinks, I admit I have heard of him, but have not been able to really take the time to listen to his music. I pretty much agree with your review of the album, a number of really solid tracks, a few that are a bit by the numbers, but inoffensive and a few that are a bit of a punch to the gut (in a good way).
“Rock and Roll” really hit me, as someone who has been slowly coming out a dark period in my life after some deaths and sickness to people close to me, what an amazing song that sums up my feelings right now. Always amazing when songs can still hit my cynical heart.
January 19, 2015 @ 6:52 pm
Been listening to Cody for a while, good stuff, can’t wait to take listen to this album. His Less Wise album is my favorite thus far!
January 19, 2015 @ 6:53 pm
Listening to Cody for awhile, anxious to listen to the new album!!
January 19, 2015 @ 6:54 pm
Sorry for the multiple comments, was having computer issues.
January 20, 2015 @ 6:02 am
So glad to see Cody and The Tone Deaf Hippies get some of attention! To those who say their music is boring or pop sounding/I say go see em live and then if you still feel that way.You are a Luke Bryan,Jason Aldean lackey anyway.These guys bring it night after night! If everyone takes time to get familiar with thier catalouge,you will find Cody writes as well as any of his counter parts,bar none!
Backhanded Compliment Tiddy Bits | Rawhide And Velvet
January 20, 2015 @ 11:47 am
[…] Trigger likes it, he really likes it! […]
January 23, 2015 @ 3:39 pm
Great job Cody. Very proud of you. Don’t look back because you might trip over the future. Keep on keeping on.
January 28, 2015 @ 8:26 pm
You “would like to see a more consistent effort”… Who, might I ask, are you? Jinks has consistently been a creative poet and lyricist for the past decade. I know who you are. You’re exactly who he wrote about in Hippies and Cowboys.
January 28, 2015 @ 10:52 pm
“Who, might I ask, are you?”
I’m a music critic, and it’s my job to say critical things, even when overall I really enjoy the music like I do Cody’s. This is a piece of artistic criticism, offered to be objective and constructive. If you came here looking for promotional copy, you came to the wrong place.
“Jinks has consistently been a creative poet and lyricist for the past decade.”
I agree.
December 15, 2015 @ 8:26 am
now I’m starting to see why.
March 15, 2015 @ 7:54 am
I just discovered Cody Jinks and i’ll be seeing him open in a couple weeks for Whitey Morgan. A lot of great country has been making it’s way to Kentucky lately. I’ve had the chance to see Hank 3, Blackberry Smoke, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Boland, Cody Canada, American Aquarium, and Turnpike Troubadors over the last three years or so. This type of music use to never make it here but it’s happening more and more lately. I love it.
May 14, 2015 @ 4:49 pm
Cody Jinks, Hummm where do I start? He is very sweet, humble and extremely talented. His songs upfront. His voice strong, seasoned and solid. My favorite song on this album is Loud and Heavy. My husband and all of his oilfield friends prefer What Else Is New. But his all time best in my opinion is 65 Days In L.A.
January 2, 2016 @ 7:24 pm
Just discovered this album as a result of a random ad on Twitter or Instagram. I was totally blown away. The opening track was a bit weak–a seemingly obvious play for radio time, but it picked up right away. The composition of Cast No Stones, particularly the bass, is phenomenally good. To me the album remained at that level from there to the end. I’m shocked that i never heard of this guy before yesterday.
December 20, 2017 @ 1:54 pm
I consider Cody Jinks to be a very refreshing alternative to the mindless pop pablum that passes for “country music” these days. Real/original lyrics, legitimate Texas voice, good band backed by superb studio session guitarists. Thank God there are a handful of acts like Cody’s out there. And let’s hope that Cody stays focused and true and doesn’t follow Sturgill into some weird diversion.
June 5, 2021 @ 6:25 pm
I spent the day listening to Shannon McNally (Waylon and bobby Charles tributes), Jim Lauderdale and Ray Price. I decided to check this album out because I have been reading about Cody for years and haven’t heard him. I have to say that the band is great, his voice is cool but for me the songs don’t catch me. The exception to that was “David” and probably that is because it paints a picture through images. I see songs like cartoons on s certain level, so writers like John Prine, Billy Joe Shaver and the rest take me to a place. I guess this record didn’t transport me anywhere specific. That said I will definitely be checking out his Lefty Frizzell record.