First of all, I really want to know where the title of this album came from and the meaning behind it. Confederate Buddha sounds like an oxymoron to me, but who knows what Jimbo Mathus’s intentions are behind this title? I’m intrigued; there has got to be a story behind this one.
The CD, overall, is one of those that I describe as a less is more concept. It has a nice production-not overdone, except for in a few spots, but conducive to complementing his lyrics. He is a welcome flashback to good ol’ Hank Sr.
He has a unique vocal styling; in some songs it is stronger than others. In “Wheel Upon Wheel,” it starts off mellow and builds with ghostly lyrics that haunt us all in these trying economic times. Then the background vocals come in out of nowhere; it sounds out of key and quickly draws you away from the song. Production-wise, it starts to get too busy for me. This song has potential and I realize I am contradicting myself because despite this audio speed bump, I really like the song.
Staying true to his Hank Sr. roots, “Town with No Shame” takes me back to a genre we have not heard in a long time. This is my favorite song on the entire CD. Mathus, this is your forte, this is what you do best. No audio hiccups in this one, it is perfection. He rides this perfection on through “Glad it’s Dark.” It is so reminiscent of “Your Cheating Heart,” but has that Jimbo Mathus flair that I’m quickly becoming a fan of.
I would love to see Mathus live. Some musicians execute their music in a whole different way live than they do on CD. I am curious to see if this is one of those cases. I would suspect he could make you a believer. He does a nice job on the new release. There are some issues with the harmonies; I think it would add a lot to this body of work if they were consistently sung in key.
Key Tracks: Wheel Upon Wheel, Town With No Shame, Glad It’s Dark
Rebecca Hosking- Muzikreviews.com Contributor
July 26, 2011
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