At first listen, you think you’ve heard that voice before, like the worn-in voices of American songwriters from another time. Then you realize it’s something else. Jeff Brinkman, honest and quietly hopeful, with a kind of heartland grit that’s unpretentious and wide open. He writes of love and loss, of change, of finding one’s way, and of the quiet search for meaning. A semi-finalist on season 3 of Fox’s “The X Factor,” his performance of Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful” earned unanimous praise from Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland, and Paulina Rubio, and was viewed by millions worldwide. But Brinkman isn’t chasing easy stardom. He’s a working-class songwriter, putting in his time on the road and in the studio while raising a family. He is currently based in San Diego, working on his next album.