One of the finer things in life is discovering all those musicians who manage to survive just outside the mainstream and one such fine example is Jimbo Mathus. As part of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, he has ploughed a rich furrow of quirky western swing but here, on this solo effort, he goes a bit honky-tonk before turning his attention to a bit of country rock.
Talking of the country rock songs such as "I'm Gone" and "Good Old Time", you're soon reminded of early seventies stalwarts of the scene like Gene Clark and Delbert McLinton. That's no bad thing in my book. "Fallen Angel", on the other hand, reeks of honky-tonk and you can practically smell the cigarettes and whiskey. Even when Jimbo picks up the pace - as with "Little Hand, Big Gun", he takes you down the road to hell in an eighteen wheeler.
There's a lovely warm feeling to his record. It's laidback and mellow for the most part but you can't deny the musicianship either. Everyone plays their part perfectly, there's nothing flashy on show and the whole thing just seems so relaxed. This album is a very effective antidote to the forced nature of much modern music. One to raise your glass (of fine bourbon) to.
Available by worldwide mail order from CD Baby.