Song Review – Cody Jinks’ “Must Be The Whiskey”
What was an already highly-anticipated upcoming record from Ft. Worth-based hard country songwriter Cody Jinks became even more intriguing when it was announced he’d recently signed to Concord/Rounder, and would be launching his own personally-curated music festival in Ft. Worth in August called Loud and Heavy. A virtual unknown a few years ago has now risen out of the shadows to put himself in contention to take the baton from artists like Jamey Johnson and Sturgill Simpson, and champion independent country to the next level.
Ahead of the July 27th release of Cody’s new album Lifers comes the debut track “Must Be The Whiskey” written by underground country artist Josh Morningstar. A bit more than just your average drinking ode, the song delves into the revolving door that hard alcohol can be—drinking to numb the pain of a broken heart, but the alcohol bubbling up the memories of the reason you’re drinking in the first place.
Organ is what first hits your ear, making you wonder if the track will be a little more progressive rock than country, but then it leads into a big chorus slathered with steel guitar, and later a mammoth steel guitar solo builds into the track. “Must Be The Whiskey” was recorded at the Sonic Ranch studio outside of El Paso with Cody’s road band just like the rest of Lifers.
Similar to other premier independent country acts like the Turnpike Troubadours, Cody Jinks has set himself a neck above the herd by not just embodying the true sound of country, but through writing and selecting quality songs to entrust that traditional country sound with, finding favor with a wider crowd of listeners and critics alike.
READ: Track List Details Revealed for New Cody Jinks Album “Lifers”
“Must Be The Whiskey” may not be a candidate for Song of the Year, but it does what a lead single is supposed to do, which is wet your whistle for the upcoming album release, and attract a wide audience with an infectious sound to build interest. Lifers will have other ample opportunities to delve deeper, like in the track “Stranger” written by Billy Don Burns, or get more rowdy like in “Can’t Quit Enough” that live crowds have been getting treated to lately. But “Must Be The Whiskey” will hopefully bring the traditional country fans looking for something real flocking to the Cody Jinks camp as they should.
Lifers can now be pre-ordered.
June 14, 2018 @ 9:17 pm
You know, I’ve never been on board with Jinks ( I didn’t dislike his music, it just didn’t resonate with me), but damn, I like the sound of this tune. I’m burnt out on references to whiskey in independent country songs, but I loved the melody and production on this song. Also, call me crazy, but something about the intro reminded me of “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac.
June 14, 2018 @ 9:32 pm
Country music!
June 14, 2018 @ 10:20 pm
a guy saying he’s “tipsy” is a little weird to me
June 15, 2018 @ 3:58 am
Uh why?
June 15, 2018 @ 4:28 am
I agree. It is weird. That’s what chicks say when they’ve had one-and-a-half glasses of pinot grigio with their besties.
June 15, 2018 @ 4:30 am
oh, my masculinity!
June 15, 2018 @ 4:35 am
You’re right. We’re all the same. Do you go by ze or zir?
June 15, 2018 @ 5:22 am
Not sure where you got there from what I said. I’m a dude who couldn’t possibly be triggered by a man saying he’s tipsy. Ya snowflake.
June 15, 2018 @ 5:42 am
Hey, the Cody hater is back! Welcome, Anthony!
June 14, 2018 @ 11:07 pm
No offense but those are some of the most cliche lyrics i have ever heard. “Must be the whiskey”,??? Cmon!! That is so damn unoriginal. Im surprised he didnt mention the scars on his knuckles or some other unoriginal outlaw cliche. If these guys are supposed to be better than pop country acts, then they need to step up their lyric game. This song has been written a million times already and theres absolutely nothing creative or unique about this.
June 15, 2018 @ 4:38 am
Have you listened to any of his other music? If you have and still feel this way about his lyrics, then I don’t know what you are looking for. If not and this, the lead single off of his new album, is the only Cody Jinks song you have ever listened to, then you have no room to talk.
June 15, 2018 @ 9:33 am
exactly, if these sheep would step out from the”flock” they would se this is Toby Keith type song
June 15, 2018 @ 12:23 pm
If Toby Keith was releasing stuff like this, he would still be relevant, and I would be a fan. People would be praising him as the most country thing out there right now, and most likely would be considered a savior of country music, all the while still receiving radio play.
June 20, 2018 @ 5:41 am
No it is not on par with his back catalog.
June 15, 2018 @ 1:51 am
As much as I like Jinks I’m not sold on this as the lead off. It’s got a good sound but the lyrics are just meh.
June 15, 2018 @ 4:13 am
My feelings as well. It’s a harmless tune but a little too cliche. But if we’re honest with ourselves this is who he is. He’s had moments where he blows you away lyrically like “David” but he is almost always straight forward and unapologetic. He’s not felker or Moreland or Isbell……He’s Cody Fucking Jinks.
June 15, 2018 @ 5:44 am
And, that is a good thing.
June 15, 2018 @ 5:52 am
Agreed
June 15, 2018 @ 1:59 am
It’s got a wordy lyrical/vocal rhythm similar to Hippies And Cowboys, nice little hook and melody. After a couple of spins I like it! It’s a single, short and to the point. Cliched or not, I love Country drinkin songs!! It’s Country and it’s Cody. That’s a great start to the album cycle. We should all get behind it and PUSH!!
June 15, 2018 @ 9:23 am
I totally agree. I definetly felt the hipped and cowboys vibe, and I really liked it. I can see the cliche argument, but it’s definetly I can see me cranking up and pounding some cold ones to after a long hard week. I’m excited to see how the rest of the album sounds.
June 15, 2018 @ 3:31 am
Wow, this song is where it’s at!
June 15, 2018 @ 4:01 am
Pretty fun tune, if not a little cliche lyrically, but hey, it’s country. Par for the course.
June 15, 2018 @ 4:53 am
Yeah, sounds alot like “Hippies and Cowboys”. Fortunately, the first track released from an album is rarely the best.
June 15, 2018 @ 4:56 am
Toby Keith
June 15, 2018 @ 4:56 am
Good song, fun, not too serious but “approachable”. Think this gets any spins on any main stream radio stations now that he is on a record label? Looking forward to this record.
June 15, 2018 @ 6:13 am
Honestly, this feels like a prequel to “Rock and Roll,” which is his best song to date, in my opinion.
June 15, 2018 @ 6:46 am
I love it! 🙂
June 15, 2018 @ 6:49 am
Jinks is a total unit when it comes to country music. Can’t say I have ever disliked a song of his. I would have a hell of a time if I had to pick my favourite. Best guy in the genre right now.
This song is great as well. Nothing but pure country. 8.5/10.
June 15, 2018 @ 7:19 am
It’s not another “Cast no Stones” or “I’m not the Devil”
This is more along the lines of what I used to associate Cody Jinks with.
Loud, dare I say Gothic, and a bit muddy in the production.
It was songs like Cast no stones that made me a Jinks fan, and this is definitely not as good as I had hoped it would be.
This seems like a Tim or Alan late 90s melody slathered with rock influence.
it’s certainly not what he’s best at singing. kinda sounds like a Josh Turner or Rodney atkins-y pop country melody.
that steel is really front and center, almost turned up too much relative to the rest of the track.
June 15, 2018 @ 7:21 am
Gotta have a few fun songs on a record. Personally I don’t mind the theme, I get the complaints though. Can this be a number 1 country record please?!?
June 15, 2018 @ 8:10 am
Has anybody listened to his ‘Collector’s Item’ or ‘Cast No Stones’ albums on YouTube? Some nice stuff. Unfortunate that they are out of print.
June 15, 2018 @ 8:35 am
The Flockers fan group on Facebook has links to them for download!
June 29, 2018 @ 11:25 am
I just listened to the Cast No Stones albums for the first time and all I can say is it’s incredible!!! Love the different versions of the few songs I know and the other ones I hadn’t heard. Is is true he brought this as a demo to The Row and nobody would give him a deal??? Hasn’t anybody got fuckin “ears” over there? Anyway, I couldn’t find it from the Flockers so I got it on YouTube as 1 big file. I guess I got some editing to do…..unless someone shows me different. It’ll be a pleasure to do. Is there somewhere I can get a track list? I haven’t even gotten to Collector’s Item yet?
June 15, 2018 @ 8:26 am
good song, but it feels like the tempo should be a little slower. I don’t mind another song about whiskey, but if the lyrics are going to talk about how the whiskey is hurting more than helping, then the music should maybe reflect that. I’m definitely curious to hear what the rest of the album sounds like.
June 15, 2018 @ 11:36 am
That’s a great observation. I don’t feel what the lyrics are trying to convey. And the lyrics themselves are not memorable, unlike most of Cody Jinks’ songs. This is certainly far better than what’s on mainstream radio, but it’s a bit disappointing for Jinks. But, hey, it’s just one song. I’m still excited for the album.
June 15, 2018 @ 1:31 pm
The uploader has not made the video available in your country! Error message! I thought we were using the “world wide web”! Sucks big time!
June 15, 2018 @ 7:33 pm
I asked my husband to pick his favorite song by Cody. He couldn’t pick one. He picked 3….and that was TOUGH. I couldn’t pick 5 songs that are my favorites. There are too many. Rooting for his success!
June 17, 2018 @ 7:39 pm
The album is available now through Apple’s streaming service?? I just subscribed to Amazon’s unlimited streaming service. I love Jinks, but I don’t see myself subscribing to two streaming services. Is this where this is heading though?
June 18, 2018 @ 6:42 am
It should be available on all platforms. Amazon, Apple, Spotify, etc would like to keep titles exclusive to their site but that wouls hurt both the artist and consumer.
June 18, 2018 @ 8:02 am
I’m sorry I wasn’t clear… the new Jinks album is available today on Apple’s streaming service. I assume it will be available on all streaming platforms come street date.
June 18, 2018 @ 10:54 am
The album is not yet available on Apple Music. It is listed for pre-order, and the track list is provided, but “Must Be the Whiskey” is the only track available.
June 18, 2018 @ 11:46 am
From Jinks FB…
“Enjoy the first of 11 New Songs from my New Album LIFERS: This is “MUST BE THE WHISKEY” via Apple Music
http://found.ee/WhiskeySingleItunes”
June 18, 2018 @ 11:47 am
I read that wrong at least 6 times!
June 18, 2018 @ 11:17 am
I love hearing Jinks’s voice and am a “Flocker,” but this isn’t my favorite song of his. Not to say it is bad, by any means, but I agree that the lyrics are a bit cliché. It lacks the gut punch that a song like “David,” “Give All You Can,” or even “Love Letters and Cigarettes” has. I have the feeling that releasing this song as a single is dipping a toe into attempts of major radio airplay. Given that, it is palatable for the masses, which may be what they are going for.
June 20, 2018 @ 7:18 am
Song has grown on me.
June 21, 2018 @ 6:04 am
I just preordered my copy of Lifers…. easy decision.
June 21, 2018 @ 8:02 am
yawn ! Boring writing from a boring person. I have never seen or heard the appeal of Mr Jinks. Met him in person more than once and thought he was stuck up and rude long before he “made” it.
June 21, 2018 @ 3:59 pm
were you at Tumbleweed?