Puremusic interview with Will Kimbrough


Although Will calls himself a songwriter who plays lead guitar, he is by most considered a guitar slinger of high repute, having been the go to guy for Todd Snider, Kim Richey, and in recent years, Rodney Crowell.

And that only names a chosen few. His exploits with Will and the Bushmen, The Bis-quits and bands with Tommy Womack and under his own name are the thing of Southern legend.

But the artist has made a number of distinguished and well-received discs of his own, and touring the last couple of years has been more in the solo vein, and doing his own thing. It's very rare indeed that a singer songwriter has the chops of a Will Kimbrough, so that makes for a more muscular show with a little more spit on the ball than one frequently sees from the sensitive set.

2006's Americanitis had a more political ring that received a lot of attention, but Kimbrough decided not to repeat himself here and cut his warmest acoustic recording to date, the eponymous EP. The presence of cellist/producer David Henry is felt in some of the recording process, the mix and a handful of cello tracks that go far, and an upright bass track.

There are some excellent songs here. A new version of "Godsend," one about the AL electric chair called "Yellow Mama" that Cody Canada of Cross Canadian Ragweed is entertaining singalong audiences on youtube with, and a Townes kinda song that we like a lot called "Hill Country Girl."

Certainly on anybody's short list of important Nashville guitar players, Kimbrough here continues to push that envelope into the realm of Nashville's important indie artists. If you don't have any Will Kimbrough solo records, this EP is a great place to start, but then you'll have to keep going.         continue to interview