Cody Jinks’ “I’m Not The Devil” Is The Album All True Country Fans Need
There is a time and a place for every artist, where their expressions are what the world happens to be thirsting for, and they have the right potion in the perfect proportions and of the correct persuasion to have their music prick the right nerve. Though there are plenty of artists making more traditionally-styled country at the moment, there is still a gaping hole waiting to be filled by an artist that won’t veer into left field from boredom with country, or careen too close to the mainstream to attempt to find some commercial acceptance.
Though Cody Jinks has been around for a good while and is reaching well into his 30’s, it just might be his time at the moment, for however long that time might last.
His new album I’m Not The Devil is an ambitious, unwavering, slow and plodding volley of songwriting body blows that makes no apologies, incorporates no compromises, and gives no quarter to those with open hearts that love to listen to music that makes them swoon with one emotional onslaught after another, all served in a down home deep-fried unapologetically country style.
Where previous efforts from Cody Jinks would maybe have a few songs that were ready for regional radio acceptance with sanguine attitudes and sensible production, or were more distinctly rock than country, I’m Not The Devil is Cody Jinks leaving it all out there and burying his hands deep into his country roots, worrying more about how honest he’s being with himself and the inspiration of the song than if anyone wants to hear it. And aside from one track, it’s all expressed in half-time or waltz-time sludgy power punches, stringing out an underlying tension and sense of dusk throughout this record, except for the moments he decides to let a little bit of light shine through.
Critics and music writers love to talk about things such as “subtlety” and “nuance” in songwriting, when really these are plaudit crutches that are just indefinable enough that they can be thrown out there for flattery without anyone calling the bluff. But a song like “The Same,” which speaks to serious post-relationship heartache without ever having to come out and say it, is about the perfect example of nuance in songwriting one could proffer up—writing that stimulates the brain, and stirs up emotions to a greater degree compared to when it’s all spelled out right there for you.
Multiple times on this record, Jinks finds new ways to express timeless feelings, like the regret in the title track, or the sense of broken dreams in “Vampires.” Cody Jinks is not screwing around here, and even when the steel guitar and pounding bass are silenced in “Grey,” the emotional toll remains. Only the upbeat and enjoyable “Chase That Song” and the sweet “She’s All Mine” allow the listener to come up for air during the execution of this album.
Though many will sing the praises of Cody’s cover of Merle Haggard’s “The Way I Am” written by Sonny Throckmorton, which deserves any compliments thrown its way, don’t gloss over the cover from songwriter Billy Don Burns of “Gaylor Creek Church.” Regular touring buddy Whitey Morgan once professed to Saving Country Music that every one of his records would feature a Billy Don Burns song because, “That’s just the way it is.” It appears that love for Billy Don has also taken grip of Cody.
True country music fans right now don’t just want good music, they want reassurance that good country music will continue to remain a part of music moving forward. Too often have they had their heart broken. Too often they’ve seen worthy talent pushed aside or put out to pasture, or put their hope in an artist who ultimately lets them down. Cody Jinks started in rock, and we can’t rule out entirely that he won’t veer back in that direction in the future, even if for a moment. But for now, Cody Jinks and I’m Not The Devil is exact shot of country-infused goodness that real country fans need.
Two Guns Up (9/10)
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August 12, 2016 @ 8:51 am
Love Cody Jinks. Pumped about the tour too. I hope he gets some long overdue recognition for this album.
August 12, 2016 @ 8:55 am
One of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time.
August 12, 2016 @ 9:06 am
Sweet! I forgot this came out! Purchased.
August 12, 2016 @ 9:23 am
Just when I thought he couldn’t top Adobe Sessions because of how great it was, I learn never to doubt Jinks. The sky is the limit for this man.
August 12, 2016 @ 9:33 am
Great album. Kelsey Waldon’s new one came out today too…… probably my favorite album of the year. So freaking good.
August 12, 2016 @ 2:52 pm
Another good album!
August 12, 2016 @ 9:42 am
Ordered my copy of this and Adobe sessions from Amazon this morning can’t wait to listen to the new one
August 12, 2016 @ 9:55 am
I pre-ordered this and got it yesterday. I have been anxiously awaiting this release, and it is everything I hoped it would be. Right now, there is no one I enjoy listening to more than Cody Jinks.
August 12, 2016 @ 9:58 am
Spot on with the review. It is a great album.
August 12, 2016 @ 10:12 am
With a heavy/thrash metal past, Cody Jinks sure knows something about the dark side of life.That’s a strange combination but it works.I enjoyed Adobe Sessions and this one is above my expectations.
August 12, 2016 @ 10:17 am
Great review Trig.
When you reviewed Adobe Sessions you said “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.”
Its looks like he went for the substantive and it really shines through on this release.
No Words really feels like a gut-punch to me and I think should be considered as one of the top songs of the year.
August 12, 2016 @ 11:45 am
Exactly Rockies. The truth of the matter is, mainstream radio isn’t going to latch on to someone like Cody Jinks anyway, so you might as well do what’s in your heart, go full bore behind the country direction, and build a grassroots fan base that will be behind you when Cumulus and iHeart fold in 18 months anyway. Have no clue if Jinks read that opinion, but he took it to heart with this album nonetheless.
August 12, 2016 @ 10:41 am
Just one question, Trigger, what does a 10 sound like???? 🙂
August 12, 2016 @ 10:46 am
Sam Hunt, of course.
(Runs away, ducking head.)
August 13, 2016 @ 7:26 pm
@sbach66 LMFAO
August 12, 2016 @ 11:43 am
At “10” album has to truly be a masterpiece or close to it, or something that truly resets the paradigm in music somehow, or both. There’s lots right with this album and very little, if anything wrong with it. But there’s nothing incredibly groundbreaking about it, like you had with Sturgill’s “Metamodern Sounds” for example. That not a knock on this album. I obviously think very highly of it. But it should be a very high bar to grade something as perfect.
August 12, 2016 @ 11:49 am
I can’t argue with that, although i prefer Cody’s sound to Sturgill’s so I might come out the other way on that one.
August 12, 2016 @ 12:16 pm
I may prefer Cody’s to Sturgill’s as a plain listening experience too. But “Metamodern” is the album we will all point back to as the one that launched Sturgill’s career, inspired Stapleton’s “Traveller,” which ultimately became the Album of the Year in country, and began the return to substance in the mainstream. Of course we didn’t know it would do all of that at the time, but we felt pretty confident it was a game changer. “I’m Not The Devil” probably doesn’t have all that in it. It’s just an excellent album to listen to, and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.
August 13, 2016 @ 6:22 am
I think that’s spot on. Metamodern appears to have been the ‘Nirvana’ for this movement.
August 12, 2016 @ 11:53 am
What about Chris Stapletons album Traveller? I know you have it 2 guns up but did not give a number rating.
August 12, 2016 @ 12:17 pm
I try to keep my ratings a little ambiguous and nebulous, because ultimately I feel silly trying to assign numerals to someone’s creative expression. I understand it’s a helpful guidepost and that’s why I do it. But I prefer it to be an imperfect system.
August 12, 2016 @ 7:45 pm
You know Trigger, I’m happy that I could contribute the numerical grading scale a year ago but I definitely feel guilty about it. Like you, I really hate grades (as far as giving them is concerned), and I really feel that the review is what people should ultimately be jazzed about (not pointing any fingers, I’m guilty too). That’s why I enjoy the imperfect grading scale.
For this album, I haven’t given it quite enough listens to have a grounded opinion yet, but I do absolutely love it for sticking 100% to a vision and not some crazy experimentation.
August 12, 2016 @ 4:00 pm
” At “10” album has to truly be a masterpiece or close to it, or something that truly resets the paradigm in music somehow, or both. ”
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is a 10 if there ever was a ” 10 “
August 12, 2016 @ 10:51 am
Can’t wait to dig into this album this weekend. Between this album and the Justin Wells album, it’s been a nice couple of weeks for damn good Country music. To top it all off we still have new stuff from Whiskey Myers (with Dave Cobb) and Reckless Kelly on the near horizon. Now we just need Jason Eady to confirm a release date or finally make “Genie in a Bottle” available for purchase and fans of good, honest, truthful music will have a buffet of awesomeness in front of us to enjoy.
August 12, 2016 @ 10:56 am
Why no review for the BDB – A Night In Room 8? Easily one of the best albums of the year, from an artist you champion. Is your beef with Shooter still looming?
August 12, 2016 @ 11:40 am
Two Time Slim,
I haven’t ruled out doing a review for Billy Don Burns’ “A Night in Room 8,” but as I state in my submission guidelines and long-time Saving Country Music readers can attest, live albums, acoustic albums, and albums of previously-released material are put in the back of the line for review behind original, studio, full band releases. “A Night in Room 8” happens to be all three of those bugaboos. It doesn’t mean I still won’t cover a live acoustic album upon occasion, or that I won’t cover “A Night in Room 8,” but the folks that spend many thousands of dollars to put out a proper studio album are going to get preference. That is in no way an indictment of the effort of “A Night in Room 8,” but with so many albums being released, you have to put them in some sort of pecking order because it is impossible to cover them all.
There is no Shooter bias. I have seen numerous artists and scensters crying that Saving Country Music doesn’t cover anyone that works with Shooter. Well then why did I give Billy Don Burns a shoutout in this very article, or give the former Fifth on the Floor frontman a glowing review earlier this week:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/justin-wells-sees-dawn-in-the-distance-in-solo-album/
I don’t care who an artist is friends with, or who releases an album. It’s all about the music.
August 12, 2016 @ 12:19 pm
Thank you. I’ve just had that album on repeat and was looking forward to a possible review from SCM. Then I remembered all that nonsense from the past. I respect your guidelines for what gets brought to the table, and understand you can’t review everything.
August 12, 2016 @ 11:26 am
I went to the local record store on my lunch, and they didn’t have it in stock. Sadly, they are going out of business and won’t be getting any more new music. Came back to my desk at the cubicle farm and ordered a physical copy from Amazon. Now I just have to wait until Sunday for it to get here. I went ahead and purchased the digital copy of the Justin Wells’ album to tide me over.
August 12, 2016 @ 2:59 pm
That Justin Wells album is pretty solid.
August 13, 2016 @ 2:20 pm
Holy shit. Listening NOW to the Justin Wells for the first time. Thanks for the heads up??
August 12, 2016 @ 12:36 pm
It takes a real artist to outdo The Hag on a Hag song, but Mr. Jinks pulled it off with “The Way I Am”…as soon as I heard his cover of it a few weeks ago, I knew this album was going to be great. Can’t wait to listen.
August 12, 2016 @ 1:02 pm
Usually don’t have much use for covers of well-recognized songs, but Jinks nails that one.
August 12, 2016 @ 3:46 pm
I love when people are asked to define country music. For me it’s one of those things you just know it when you hear it. This is pure country gold. This is the album you play when someone asks you to define country music.
Congrats to Cody for just perfect execution, start to finish. Rare to have so much goodness packed into one CD these days. You could tell he was headed this direction with his last one and good to see him complete the thought so to speak.
August 12, 2016 @ 3:52 pm
For a while I felt like we were getting pretty deep into the year without having any ‘Album of the Year’ candidates much less a competitive ‘top 10’ list but between this one, the Cody Johnson album the other week, the Justin Wells album reviewed here the other day that I would have never heard of if not for this site, all of a sudden it looks like it’s going to be a pretty good list of albums that don’t even make ‘top 10’ type lists, especially with upcoming records from everyone from Reckless Kelly to Dwight Yoakam! Basically, I felt like 2016 came in like a lamb but is going out like a lion
August 12, 2016 @ 3:57 pm
I’d also add in Mark Chesnutt’s album from this summer to this group
August 13, 2016 @ 12:47 am
Things are definitely perking up all of a sudden.
August 12, 2016 @ 5:14 pm
Okay this is news to me. I had no idea that Cody Jinks was the frontman of a metal band. That probably explains why his previous album was said to have elements of rock. There’s no doubt that this is a country album, and now that I gave The Adobe Sessions another listen, it is clear that this newer album indeed does have all of the elements of a country album. I guess I’ll listen to it again whilst in a good frame, but the details within this review are spot on.
August 12, 2016 @ 8:31 pm
Been a fan of his for a good while, but somehow I still don’t own a CD of him, need to order this one. Chase that Song on this album is incredible, I rank it 3rd on my all-time song list.
August 12, 2016 @ 8:33 pm
Cody Jinks and Whitey Morgan will be this generation’s Waylon and Willie. They’ll be the two that stick to their fuckin’ guns with both middle fingers waving in Trashville’s corporate face. Greasy looking honky tonkers with something worth saying and voices to match. Certainly sounds familiar to me.
You heard it here.
August 12, 2016 @ 9:01 pm
On the f-you nashville point, yes, they are our Waylon and Willie. Musically, this generation’s Willie and Waylon are probably Simpson and Stapleton.
August 14, 2016 @ 7:12 pm
Sturgill strays from country too much and Stapleton writes too many bill-paying bro songs. Those aren’t knocks against them at all, though. Together, I believe the 4 will always be putting out excellent albums themselves
August 15, 2016 @ 6:58 am
So long as Stapleton’s “bill-paying bro songs” remain off his own work, he’s good in my book. Between Traveler and the early Steeldrivers albums, there were no signs of that, so I don’t see it happening any time soon.
August 12, 2016 @ 9:26 pm
Jinks is the real deal. The soul lives on because what goes around always comes back around.
August 13, 2016 @ 6:02 am
It annoys me that the LP is released 3 weeks later…
But that unnecessary bitching aside, this sounds like a really promising album. Looking forward to hearing the full thing.
August 13, 2016 @ 9:06 am
You’re seeing a lot of folks do this for a couple of reasons:
1) Releasing the vinyl at a later date is a way to re-promote the album
2) Supply chains are strained from the resurgence of vinyl at the moment that sometimes they just can’t get the LP’s made in time.
Not sure if either applies here, but I’ve been seeing this a lot lately.
August 13, 2016 @ 6:33 am
Great review. I’ve been a big of his rock influence stuff so this will be a nice complement to his library.
But I gotta admit a lot of this album is so athentic and claws into you so hard that it makes me want to drink. I’m not sure I can handle it personally. That’s when you know an artist has succeeded. I bought it to support Cody but not sure I can listen to it much. It’s a hard core masterpiece.
August 13, 2016 @ 8:20 am
I don’t have much to add – just that this is simply excellent!
August 13, 2016 @ 10:53 am
Stop the fight. No way anyone else makes an album even close this good this year.
August 14, 2016 @ 7:49 am
I don’t care if Cody Jinks used to front a polka band, this guy has come out as my absolute favorite over the past few years. It’s just good, real music. If it wasn’t for this site, I wouldn’t know who this guy was since I live in Virginia.
August 14, 2016 @ 11:43 am
Exactly Don. I live in VA also and SCM is the only reason I’ve ever heard of CJ. I don’t own any of his music, but after listening to the iTunes samples of each song, I’ll definitely buy this album. A new fan in the RVA. Thanks Trigger!
August 14, 2016 @ 8:19 pm
Oh, love that voice. Beautiful song too!
August 15, 2016 @ 7:42 am
This album is full of what I miss about country music. It feels crafted and not, well… produced. Great review of a fantastic album.
August 15, 2016 @ 9:33 am
Not enough fiddle and steel guitar, still good music though.
August 16, 2016 @ 5:29 am
Adobe Sessions was weird, his voice sounded a lot deeper and more different than the earlier albums like Less Wise or 30. This album is really good, his voice is a good mix between the albums. Also the songwriting of this album is more palatable to some of the listeners fed up with the radio.
August 16, 2016 @ 6:26 pm
This CD was just what I needed this weekend. My cousin was killed in a farming accident last Monday, with the funeral on Friday. I have been taking it pretty hard and I didn’t get around to listening to the full Album until yesterday. With songs like No Guarantees, Give all you Can, and Grey Cody Jinks has been my emotional crutch this week.
Thank you Trigger for this great review, and thank you Cody for putting out real music with heart and soul that real people can relate to.
August 18, 2016 @ 9:59 am
This is THE best country album I’ve heard so far this year. It really just blows my mind that music like this, Whitey Morgan, Dale Watson and Jason Boland do not get heavy radio play.
August 19, 2016 @ 3:22 pm
finally got i’m not the devil today no offense to sturgill but this is my favorite album of the year and i don’t know if anything’s going to beat it
August 19, 2016 @ 8:13 pm
I’m well over a dozen album spins so far. Best of 2016 for sure. Fantastic set of songs!
August 20, 2016 @ 7:53 am
Wow! I didn’t expect to like it more than Adobe Sessions but I’m blown away. The modern-day Waylon!
August 21, 2016 @ 4:23 pm
Excellent review of an excellent album and my plans just changed for the night of September 10th!
Thank goodness for this site. With my network of music-loving friends I probably would have eventually heard of him, but maybe not in time to see him here in Atlanta!
Thank you, sir!
August 23, 2016 @ 5:51 am
I can’t get over how amazing this albums. Every song is an emotional throat punch. I was completely shocked by just how good it was.
September 2, 2016 @ 1:21 pm
Cheers to Trigger for choosing David as his co-SOTY last year. I stumbled upon that SOTY article while searching for reviews of Turnpike Troubadors, and it turned me on to Cody & he’s been in heavy rotation ever since. Adobe was fantastic & this new album is maybe even better.
May 8, 2018 @ 8:37 am
I had to come back and read this review/thread just to make sure I didn’t say anything stupid when I was new on here (like I know I have in other threads). I wasn’t here yet. I didn’t “get it”. I hadn’t yet learned what this site has taught me. I’m sure I was still listening to a lot of garbage. This album is incredible and even though it’s in my heavy rotation now with a few of his old songs thrown in that playlist I can’t wait for Lifers to come out. I’ve come to appreciate Sturgill and Stapleton is ok, but this man is what Country should look and sound like in 2018.