March 29, 2006
By Alex Sudheim
(ENT)
Star rating: ****
In his eponymous solo album, Joburg's Jim Neversink has created a timeless country classic. Harking back to the original gangsters of country - those wizened warriors such as Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Neil Young and Johnny Cash - Neversink infuses his work with a contemporary rock sensibility: he's not shy to reach for the electric guitar and Matthew Fink's immaculate production gives the album a sun-burnt sheen.
Were this album released in the US with tons of hype it would instantly ascend the pantheon of "psych-country" currently ruled by the likes of the overrated My Morning Jacket whose work is far inferior to that of Mr Neversink
.
Despite the gorgeous swells of Palamino Gold Dust Saloon and the elegaic Always Dreaming of You, Neversink's work will probably be consigned to some kind of cult/niche status. Which, ultimately, is purely academic as long as he continues to make albums like this.
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