Change the Game

If there’s been a recent country artist who has undeniably changed the genre’s game, it’s Cody Jinks. A cult favorite with a diehard following, Jinks makes no-frills country music with rough-hewn edges—as influenced by genre giants like Waylon Jennings as he is by heavy metal. For his 12th album, Jinks takes an unreleased live favorite, the arena-rocker “Change the Game,” and builds around it, pushing himself both lyrically and vocally to level up his artistry. Highlights include the emotional substance-abuse confrontation of “Sober Thing,” which opens the record and boasts one of Jinks’ finest vocals to date, and “Take This Bottle,” a vulnerable collaboration with Pearl Aday. Naturally, Jinks made *Change the Game* according to his independent spirit, releasing the record on his own Late August Records label. Jinks’ bassist Joshua Thompson co-produced the LP with Ryan Hewitt, known for his work with a diverse array of artists including Molly Tuttle and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.