JD Hinton - So Close So Far EP (2025) Hi-Res

2025 has proved a pivotal year for JD Hinton, having released the excellent EP “Traveller” at the beginning of the year, he followed it up with the equally strong five-track “So Close So Far” in June. Hinton’s sagacious narratives draw comparison to fellow Texan legend Dave Alvin, while his numerous acting roles on both film and television have helped develop a graphic writing style that turns his songs into mini-movies. The opening song, ‘Rain Rain Rain’, a co-write with Richard Alan Solem, hits you like a controlled explosion from the guitar riff, which is equally matched by the intensity of the vocal delivery, as together they pull you into Hinton’s world. That level is maintained by the following number: ‘Don’t Dig My Grave Yet’, while the slow, seductive piano ballad ‘Let’s Do Now (I’m Here, You’re Here)’ that includes some delightful backing vocals from Kathrin Shorr, shows Hinton’s softer, melodic side. Hinton’s poetry is scripted with all the emotional clarity and vision of a screenwriter, but delivered with the world-weary lucidity of a wandering minstrel, which is all perfectly captured on the song ‘Where Do I Sign’. Hinton’s life story may reveal many facets, but as a singer-songwriter, he is most definitely the real deal.