Officially Shotgun Jimmie's third solo album, Still Jimmie marks a return to the grittier sound that defined his first release, 2004's The 6,000 True Stories of Love after his relatively polished sophomore album, 2007's The Onlys. Backed by his tourmates Attack in Black (who themselves cut parts of their latest album at Jimmie's Sackville, NB farm) and hastily recorded in their basement studio on the cusp of a cross-country tour, Still Jimmie benefits from the unrehearsed sound. Jimmie's lyrics have always been playful but the accompanying music has never been as boisterous as it is here. Album highlights include the heartsore duet with $100's Simone Schmidt "Quicksand" and lead-off track "Mind Crumb". Fans of Jimmie will surely fall in love with this album right off the bat, but for those new to his work, Still Jimmie proves to be the perfect place to discover one of Canada's hidden gems.
(Shotgun Jimmie plays an in-store here at Soundscapes on Wed. Oct 28 at 7pm.)