Shinyribs
I Got Your Medicine
Any day now they’re gonna proclaim Kevin Russell “Funkiest Texan of the Decade”, throw up a statue of him in a gaudy suit playing his uke and be done with it. Because from his work as the leader of oft-missed The Gourds and now with Shinyribs, Russell is a BBQ-eating Dali, a swingin’ ambassador of the good foot, and on I Got Your Medicine Shinyribs takes a trip down Louisiana way, and serves up his most winning record of his career.
Anyone familiar with The Gourds knows to expect whacked out observations of life and a certain devil may care insolence, but Russell and producer/guitarist Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers, South Memphis String Band) have honed Russell’s attack while at the same time broadening his sound with the Tijuana Train Wreck Horns, to the point that you’d swear you just stepped out of a bar on NOLA’s Frenchman Street, and you ain’t near done partying. This is a New Orleans record thru and thru (despite being recorded in Houston), with Shinyribs paying homage to the master of New Orleans’ music, Allen Toussaint with a crackin’ rendition of his “A Certain Girl” and some deep soul with Toussaint McCall’s “Nothing Takes The Place Of You”. The 12 cuts here move and groove so naturally it’s really hard to sit still listening.
From the Tony Joe White-ish “Tub Gut Stomp & Red-Eyed Soul” to the raucous duet with Alice Spencer on “I Don’t Give A Shit”, this is a hoot of a record, with Russell’s sly way with words and his funky charisma smiling at cha. Testify brother Russell and Shinyribs, testify!
