Jimmywine Majestic

by Greg PratoRed Red Meat's bluesy music could best be described as Exile On Main St.-era Rolling Stones on downers. While blues is known for its outpouring of sadness and/or depression, Red Red Meat adds a sense of paranoia to the blues-rock mix. Singer/guitarist Tim Rutili often mumbles his heartfelt lyrics a la Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis, but the honesty of his compositions more than makes up for it. The album has a rustic sound that only adds to their gloomy acoustic tunes (especially on "Smokey" and "Rusted Water") and rock numbers (the opener "Flank"). The album's true highlights, however, are the mopey "Stained & Lit" (picture a catatonic Billy Corgan strumming his guitar), the classic-rock swing of "Smokey Mountain Dbl. Dip," and the constantly evolving "Ball," which proves to be the best and most focused track on Jimmywine Majestic. Soon after the album's release, Red Red Meat landed the opening slot on friends Smashing Pumpkins' breakthrough Siamese Dream tour, which helped introduce Red Red Meat's original sound to a new audience.