Jon Dee Graham, Garage Sale (Freedom): The follow-up to 2010's It's Not As Bad As It Looks, Garage Sale is vintage Jon Dee, looking in all the psychic cubbyholes for answers to the eternal questions.
Overall, the album is probably best described as downbeat and somber; there is very little rocking going on here, but there's plenty of emotionally charged lyricism. Graham was badly injured in a one-car accident in 2008 (hence It's Not As Bad As It Looks) and his tortured song "Codeine/Codine" explores the world of pain killers, physical pain, and psychic pain.
And healing. This is classic Jon Dee. Roll a fat one and settle in; Graham doesn't make it easy.
Jimbo Mathus, Blue Light (Big Legal Mess): This is some serious Dirty South country-blues-funk. Whether he's drawling like a jilted drunk ("Blue Light") or laying down the commandments ("Fucked Up World"), Mathus always puts maximum soul in his groove; you can almost smell the grits and bacon on the stove.
The only problem with Blue Light is that there are only six tracks. Solution: Put it on repeat. Not a slack moment to be found on this cooler than cool effort.
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