Compared to other '70s country revivalists such as Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson, Cody Jinks plays it quite straight on his 2016 album I'm Not the Devil.

There are no feints at modernity, no covers of Nirvana, just lean and dusty outlaw country that plays like a blend of Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard.

Jinks covers Hag's "The Way I Am," its lazy lope providing one of the few moments of pure sweetness here, and it provides a nice contrast to the steady-rolling rockers, cinematic Western soundscapes, and straight-ahead slices of honky tonk.

If Jinks gets a little amorphous when he slows down and stretches out, the rest of I'm Not the Devil is tight and targeted, the work of a singer/songwriter dedicated to staying true to a tradition he loves.