Will Kimbrough - Americanitis (2006)

The title of Will Kimbrough's latest release refers to a disease of power, arrogance, and hypocrisy--but music that has this much conviction and soul-searching might well provide an antidote. The former frontman for Will and the Bushmen and sideman for Todd Snider and Rodney Crowell (among others), guitarist Kimbrough here reinforces his reputation as a songwriter of great range and social conscience, whether he's addressing foreign policy ("I Lie," "Perfect Desert Blue"), white-collar crime ("Act Like Nothing's Wrong"), or the bittersweet ironies of maturity ("Grown Up Now"). The spoken-word "Pride" evokes comparisons with T Bone Burnett, while the propulsive "Less Polite" is as pointed as Rodney Crowell's recent material. The hard-driving "Another Train" and double-time raver "Let Me Say Yes" carry an electric charge amid the rootsy, acoustic arrangements that dominate, with Kimbrough channeling the spirit of Woody Guthrie on the closing "Brand New Song." -- Don McLeese