Jimbo Mathus has led a colorful career focused on an eclectic range of American roots forms. With the Zippers, this meant jazz and swing; since going solo, though, he's spent his time primarily exploring the blues from a grimy Hill Country perspective. It's little wonder that he's worked with the Dickinsons (Cody , Luther and the late Jim) and some of their protégés to re-create the primal rhythmic rumble and loose-limbed spunk of the region. Mathus sounds at home amid the ramshackle. His latest, Confederate Buddha, is his first solo release written with a band in mind, blending his country-blues fascinations with a greasy Southern rock swagger. —Chris Parker