Cody Jinks: Lifer

Cody Jinks has succeeded as an artist for many reasons. First, he is incredibly talented. Second, he writes great songs. Third, he sings his music his way. Fourth, he has maintained until recently control over the distribution of his music, as well as ownership. To date, he is the most commercially successful independent country music artist "on the planet" as he likes to boast. A boast that is justified.

As such, his success has been driven by his ability to stay true to who he is, an outlaw country music artist. Something that does not sit well with today's mass produced record labels. Labels that want more pop country. Labels that care more about quantity than quality. Labels that fail to see what artists such as Jinks see. A populous that desires quality, originality, and honesty. Just as Johnson, Jennings, and Jones were no accident, neither is Jinks.

Jinks proved this to be true in 2016 with the release of his album I'm Not the Devil. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Impressive, but not as impressive as his independent follow up albums Lifers, After the Fire, and The Wanting reached No. 2 on the same chart. Jinks is the proof in the pudding.

This review is a review of two releases of Jinks' album Lifers. One pressed by Rounder Records. The other pressed through record club Vinyl Me, Please and by Rounder Records. We chose to do a comparison of records because were intrigued with the general perception that Vinyl Me, Please is an audiophile club that releases audiophile vinyl records.

Regarding Vinyl Me, Please, no where on their website do they state that they are an audiophile club. There is mention of the use of analogue tapes and the process for pressing audiophile vinyl. However, it is in regards to certain runs, such as those by Analogue Productions and their Classic collection. Vinyl Me, Please states on their website "The mastering and pressing processes for both Vinyl Me, Please Classics and audiophile reissue label Analogue Productions follow a similar methodology: Audio sourced exclusively from original analog master tapes, lacquers cut direct from the tape to lacquer with no digital delay, and pressed on heavyweight black vinyl at QRP." Therefore, it appears as if most club releases are merely a reissue from the label owning the rights at the time (i.e., Cody Jinks and Rounder Records). It also appears as it the audiophile releases are within a specific category, such as that which is mentioned on their website and quoted above.

VMP does state the following on their website "We curate and create premium vinyl packages with quality you can hear and feel. Our passion for this experience has led us to make the best-sounding records with the best in the business. One record at a time, we’re building a community fueled by a deep appreciation for music." However, this should not be construed to mean every release is audiophile quality. It simply means what it says, they do their best to put out a premium quality record. For them this may include heavy weight virgin vinyl that may also be colored. Maybe the perception that all releases are audiophile stems from the hyper sticker included on most records that references the vinyl's quality.

It is important to note that the best quality vinyl won't do much to change a poorly mastered and manufactured record. Analogue tapes, mastering excellence, and high quality manufacturing that uses premium vinyl must be included in the process. We assume that this is why they mention their Classic collection and Analogue Production releases and the use of analogue tapes.

So, the question remains, is a Vinyl Me, Please "regular" club release better than those that are released as first runs? Well, here's our opinion as it pertains to Lifers. We played Cody Jinks' independent release of Lifers on Rounder Records and Vinyl Me, Please release of the same. Cody Jinks' independent release of Lifers on Rounder Records appears to sound more dynamic. Vinyl Me Please' release did not sound better in any audible way. The yellow vinyl was attractive, which is one of their selling points. However, those who seek quality releases could really care less about vinyl color. It is about the music held within those grooves!

TRACK LIST
A1 Holy Water
A2 Must Be The Whiskey
A3 Somewhere Between I Love You And I'm Leavin'
A4 Lifers
A5 Big Last Name
A6 Desert Wind
B1 Colorado
B2 Can't Quit Enough
B3 7th Floor
B4 Stranger
B5 Head Case

When we listen to pressings from Analogue Productions, Mobile Fidelity, and Craft Records to name a few, there is a noticeable improvement from previous releases, especially when compared to today's mass produced records. Maybe this occurs with their Classic collection releases. We will investigate that in another post.

Maybe we could not notice a real improvement because there was not intended to be one. Based on the matrix numbers both records appear to be the same runout, just different colored vinyl. Unless you are after colored vinyl of your favorite releases, we suggest that you save your money and pick up Lifer's on Rounder Records at your local record store. It is a well pressed record and an excellent real country music record by a real country music artist!💰

💰 Invest
💵 Consider
💸 Pass