Jimmy the Kid

Recording information: Black Wings Studio, MS; Delta Recording Service, MS.Jimmy the Kid stands out in Jimbo Mathus' catalog as his first foray into country and country-rock. Recorded in Como, Mississippi during 2006 and 2007, it features members of the Knockdown Society -- who recorded the excellent Knockdown South and Old Scool Hot Wings -- as well as Luther Dickinson and Olga Wilhelmine Munding, among others. Given those two recordings, this is not only a stylistic departure for Mathus (who spent the previous four years with Buddy Guy), but a sonic one, too. The artist co-produced this with Winn McElroy and Justin Showah; the sound is crisp, warm, and clear. Opener "Good Old Time" walks a line between the Rolling Stones' original version of "Dead Flowers" and the hit single by New Riders of the Purple Sage. "Fallen Angel" is a straight-up honky tonk shuffle with a prominent whining pedal steel. Its barroom companion, "Whispering in the Wings," is fueled by a slightly out of tune upr