"Introspective" is generally not the first word people think of when they talk about
Jimbo Mathus and his music. Much of his best and best-known work has been dominated by a bluesy stomp and a willingness to throw caution to the wind, both musically and lyrically. Although the swampy grit that won
Mathus his reputation can certainly be found on 2019's
Incinerator, most of the time it's overshadowed by more thoughtful material, late-night laments in which he ponders love gone wrong or decisions made poorly. While
Mathus has never sounded less than passionate on his recordings, this time he wears his heart on his sleeve in a whole new way. The moody, string-laden "Really Hurt Someone" sounds like one of
Frank Sinatra's saloon songs of the '50s rewired by
Ray Charles, "Been Unraveling" recalls a better-grounded version of
Big Star's Third in its deep-echo loneliness, and "Sunk a Little Loa" has at least one foot in '70s soft rock (though the noisy guitar work would have kept it off the radio back in the day).
Mathus also lifts a few melodic moves from
Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" for "Sunken Road" (which features guest vocals from
Lilly Hiatt), and he makes them work. The old
Jimbo does make himself heard on "Alligator Fish," a gleefully swampy rocker that suggests he's been listening to a lot of
Captain Beefheart; elsewhere, the thirsty cowboy's lament "South of Laredo" is good, loose-limbed fun, and his closing cover of
the Carter Family's "Give Me the Roses" is steeped in the sort of Southern tradition that's at the root of his best work. But if you've ever wanted a
Jimbo Mathus album for a rare dark night of the soul,
Incinerator is just that kind of music, and he makes it connect with the same loosely tight commitment that fans would expect. Seeing as it came after a reunion album and tour with the ever-upbeat
Squirrel Nut Zippers, perhaps
Incinerator represents
Mathus making a kind of music he couldn't get away with for most of 2018, but whatever the reason, this is a change of pace that works well more often than not. ~ Mark Deming