On one of the live records from the Hill Country Picnic, songwriter/singer/guitarist Jimbo Mathus introduces a song by saying, “Let’s boogie!” And that aesthetic of boogie (not in terms of KC and the Sunshine Band but in terms of Black Oak Arkansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Thin Lizzy) runs throughout Mathus’ and the Tri State Coalition’s new record. Mathus’ music is unabashedly rock ‘n’ roll and unabashedly Southern. There’s the subject matter of the songs like “Casey Caught the Cannonball” and “Tallahatchie” where the wailing guitars, heavy stomping drums, bent note solos, and almost desperate vocals put this song squarely on this side of the Mason Dixon line. Whether scorching rave-ups, mid-tempo rockers, or heartfelt balllads, Mathus and his band dig in and deliver serious gold nugget tunes. Mathus’ songs have always had depth, but here they seem more personal and closer to his heart. Many deal with people at a turning point or crossroads (speaking of Southern…) like the person contemplating jumping in the river in “Tallahatchie” or the subject of the title track, or the author contemplating his wrongs in “Whiting Spider,” a song that mixes REM early work and the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers.” But there is as much action as thought, as the gang wreaking their vengeance in “Burn the Ships” would admit. It’s that kind of fervor that Mathus and his band put into their music, and that kind of emotion and commitment makes each record they put out better than the previous. For listeners who want epic rock ‘n’ roll without qualifiers such as indie, jam, or whatever the top 40 calls itself, Jimbo Mathus is your man.