Dirty ol’ one-man band Scott H. Biram serves up a bloody feast of raw roots and blues here on his latest, Nothin’ But Blood. From the soulful start of “Slow & Easy” and “Gotta Get to Heaven” to the raucous barroom laments of “Alcohol Blues” and “Only Whiskey,” Biram displays a versatility that somehow manages to escape many roots artists. Mixing blues and backwoods hillbilly sounds with the spit and grit of punk rock and metal, the man is doing it all himself –vocals, guitar, kick, foot stomps, keys, effects, and God knows what else — with the exception of a guest vocal here and an effects loop there. “Never Comin’ Home” and “Nam Weed” are high and lonesome moments of tender reflection amidst the mud, the blood, and the beer of “Backdoor Man” and “I’m Troubled.” As a bonus, Hiram includes three stripped down gospel tracks, a Sunday morning comedown after the wild ups and downs found throughout Nothin’ But Blood. Somewhere between Bob Log III and Lightnin’ Hopkins, Scott H. Biram is a performer who you ought not to turn your back on in 2014, folks. (Bloodshot Records, scottbiram.com) Sheldon Birnie