The latest from Americana-jack-of-all-trades Jimbo Mathus is an entertaining ten tracks of country and gospel tinged tunes. With a tight backing band in the Tri-State Coalition, each tune gets its own flavour, and for most parts the arrangements are fresh takes on an old formula. Throughout, Mathus’ songwriting is strong, with some interesting characters on parade. Lead track “In The Garden,” title track “White Buffalo” and “Useless Heart” are take-away tracks for me. At its best, White Buffalo is a prime example of contemporary Americana exploring and celebrating the roots of southern folk music. At its low points, however, it risks coming off as little more than a pastiche of these influences. Luckily, the low points are few and far between. Overall, White Buffalo is a solid effort from a tireless southern performer and his crack band, worth repeated listenings over an uncapped bottle of bourbon. (Fat Possum, fatpossum.com) Sheldon Birnie