Melbourne-based artist Slim Jim Dinkum emits a compelling folk arsenal on his new album Real Rural, described as “a celebration of the rural working class Australian vernacular.” The project takes inspiration from Australian country music legend Slim Dusty, whose record was gifted to Slim Jim Dinkum by his grandfather.
Opening track “The Real Slim Jim” enthuses in its bar-room references and conversational vocal push — melding playful guitars and barn-set strings within a stream-of-consciousness vocal feelings; its concluding crowd-cheering further bolsters the organic, live-feeling. “Never Drinking Again (Kind of Morning)” plays like a natural follow-up to the opener’s fun night out. “Thinking about the road that lay before me,” the introspection lets out, vowing to move forward with a clearer state of mind — where “lying in a pool of my own sweat,” isn’t a common occurrence anymore.
A variety of highlights continue throughout. Twangy guitars and brisk percussion combine enjoyably on “Born This Way,” where family line recollections and a sense of blissful nostalgia shine. “Pottering Around” acknowledges enjoyable tinkering about, escaping the tumult of the world by focusing on personal growth and one’s own adobe, where a difference can actually be made. Brassy injections play with a fervent enjoyment. Real Rural is a delight of an album from Slim Jim Dinkum, full of melodic and relatable charm.
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“The Real Slim Jim” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.