Kenny Bill Stinson, Kickin’ in My Stall (Independent)

North Louisiana’s Kenny Bill Stinson recorded Kickin’ in My Stall by himself at home, and the lack of anyone looking over his shoulder to keep him pious helps immensely. His production flirts with lo-fi as bits of distortion crackling through the album like lightning, and the upright piano may be a honky-tonk staple, but in “Rhinestones and Butterflies,” its fragile sound gives his tribute to his deceased mother exactly the right amount of gravity. Johnny Cash may have envisioned shooting a man in Reno, but Stinson one-ups the Man in Black when imagines shooting his way out of a bad casino gig in “Sunday Night in Shreveport.” Throughout, contemporary sonic, lyrical and musical touches give his ARK-LA-TEX garage, blues, country and rock ’n’ roll modern, unpredictable edges. He also reveals his affection for the Beatles, which makes his roots stand out while countless other Americana artists stand entirely, safely and securely inside the long shadows of their heroes.