Jimbo Mathus prides himself on being unpredictable and unconventional. He thrives on it and he immerses himself in the culture and sounds the deep South, whether it be his loosely structured jazz band, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, his wide-ranging roots to flat-out rock n’ roll solo work, or his collaborations with original bluesmen like the late Leo “Bud” Welch or producing Buddy Guy’s Hill Country album, Sweet Tea. Mathus is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and bandleader who has released more than 300 of his own songs. Incinerator covers plenty of territory and Mathus describes it as a reflection of who he is as an artist – his life experiences, his stories, and his visions.
Rather than follow his natural instincts of plugging in his axe, Mathus retreated to piano because he wanted to better frame the lyrics via more space, and then add any additional instrumentation later. He even let go of his producer reins, choosing instead to have his trio mates, guitarist/drummer Bronson Tew and bassist Matt Patton (Drive-by Truckers) co-produce the album, recorded live in Dial Back Sound studio in Water Valley, MS. He did add some rather high profile guests along the way which we’ll reference as we go.
The opening “You Are Like a Song” was one of the first written, a simple but infectious melody, with acoustic instruments and a harmonizing eight-person choir giving it a special lift. He uses landscape imagery and reflections of love and loss, purposely to resemble music of The Band. Mathus adds – “my music and the Band’s share chemistry that really shines on some this album’s songs., It’s an amalgamation of roots music – gospel, country, blues – that we all grew up on in the South.” A similar feeling imbues the mournful ballad “Sunken Road,” which, on the surface seems like a trucker song but is about life nearing its end, replete with a chord progression and electric sitar from Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel” and vocalist Lilly Hiatt’s second verse and eventual harmonies.
The title track is one of those patented raw, haunting Mathus songs, akin to many on his solo albums. The inspiration comes from his youthful days working on barges in the Louisiana bayous, observing the flames from refineries and chemical plants, and thinking that when we die, our energy is released in a similar burn-off way. The haunting effect continues in the dirge-like “Really Hurt Someone,” accented by fellow Squirrel Nut Zipper Andrew Bird’s violin. Then the mood completely takes a left turn as Shinyribs frontman Kevin Russell and the ShinysoulSisters join Mathus for the Tex-Mex “South of Laredo.”
The sprawling church-like “Been Unraveling” segues to the blaring rock n’ roll of “Alligator Fish,” rendered in power trio format complete with wah-wah effects and tons of reverb. This sound resembles that of his psychedelic Southern-gothic rock heard on 2015’s Blue Healer and 2016’s Band of Storms – New Orleans street poetry set to mix of howling cacophony. “Sunk a Little Loa” is a ballad augmented by a backing choir while “Jack Told the Devil” is a mid-tempo piano-driven vaudeville-like story song, again with plenty of background vocalists. “Never Know Till It’s Gone” is another piano ballad, with a nod toward mortality, brought into even more focus with the closing Southern gospel Carter Family hymn “Give Me the Roses.”
This is a more restrained Mathus than we’ve heard in some time and it’s his best vocal album, packed, as usual, with some terrific gems.
