TOMMY STINSON
One Man Mutiny
(Done To Death Music)

by Dave Feldman

When Jim asked me to review Tommy Stinson's newest solo record, One Man Mutiny, I was certainly not without my preconceived notions. I am an extremely huge Replacements fan, and just couldn't shake the feeling that Paul Westerberg would be the only guy to put out anything decent post-Mats. True: I hadn't really given a thorough enough listen to any of Stinson's earlier projects, like Bash and Pop or Perfect, a fact I am not proud of but have since changed. I had, however, heard Guns N' Roses’ Chinese Democracy (absolute garbage) and the later Soul Asylum records (never really gave a shit,) both bands in which Stinson currently claims membership. And like ashes from a fire, a solo project rarely burns as brightly as the original full band. From the first bass drum thumps of Mutiny's opener, "Don't Deserve You," I knew I was in for something good and raw. Stinson has an attractive rasp and sass that snarls over dirty guitar parts and a foot-stompingly simple drum arrangement. It is a perfect lead in to the second song, "It's a Drag." This track sounds like it could've been - shall we say, "nicked" - right off Sticky Fingers. Not since Primal Scream made the song "Rocks Off" has anyone ventured this close to something so entirely Rolling Stones-esque. But while the influence is obvious, the track is still catchy and great. The beat is all floor-tom, snare and shaker and the lead guitarist goes his own route under the vocal melody. Even the chorus hook, "It's a drag they're always bitching/ It's a drag when they are done/ It's a drag we're always witness/ It's a drag when no one's having fun," echoes a young Jagger. "Meant to Be" is the first emotional song on the album, no doubt about some past relationship. A female voice – Stinson’s fiancée, Emily Roberts - harmonizes with him on the chorus, singing, "Maybe I should return/ when the light on your porch forever burns." It's the type of song the Goo Goo Dolls tried to create time and time again to no avail. "All This Way for Nothing," however, is a little bit too pop-friendly for my taste and is miles away from the earlier songs on the album. It felt like it could've been played in a montage for some romantic comedy. Similarly, "Come To Hide" didn't do much for me either. The song had a weird atmospheric sound to it and brought the album to a near pause. Luckily, "Seize the Moment" helps to shake the mid-album funk. One Man Mutiny then moves into "Zero to Stupid," a so-sad-it's-funny song about a collapsing relationship, and the pedal steel guitar parts give it a hint of country flavor. Best yet is how the chorus progresses, repeating the same two words like he's drunkenly searching for the right word: "Since she's been gone, I go from zero to stupid in just one... just one... just one... one drink." Brilliant.

The pedal steel guitar reappears in "Match Made in Hell," providing a Hawaiian luau sound. Sure, the melody is a bit cutesy, but it still had my toe tapping along to the glockenspiel bells. Again, the lyrics were quite funny and imaginative ("You can't cook but you could fix a flat/ Took a stab once at fixing us/ Like a watchmaker with boxing gloves...") Not to compare the two too much, but I really hadn't heard such witty songwriting since Westerberg's Stereo/Mono record. For the opening of "Destroy Me," the penultimate track, the overall vibe is quiet, drumless, but certainly not peaceful. The rhythm guitar plays one chord over and over as Stinson makes pleas to his subject. The first chorus erupts and brings in cymbal crashes and the lead guitar, with the rest of the song serving as a duet between Stinson and the aforementioned female accompaniment until, again, the song returns to the same acoustic guitar chord and Stinson still begging not to "dim the lights."

On the closer "One Man Mutiny," our hero channels Bob Dylan, and with a slurry howl a la "Desolation Row" calls out his enemy just before the curtain falls. Simply put: it's a fantastic conclusion and a great tune. One Man Mutiny shows a Tommy Stinson that has matured and grown up from his pubescent bass-playing days of the Replacements. Sadly and by a long shot, I missed the days of the Mats drunkenly singing covers and playing "Customer" and "Rattlesnake" at gatling gun speed. But no one stays young forever, and I can appreciate that over two decades after the Replacements, Bobby's little brother is still growing as an artist, perhaps not in popularity, but certainly in an intellectual sense, and most importantly, making great music.