Record Review: Tommy Stinson, One Man Mutiny

Far from living off his Replacements fame following the band’s 1991 breakup, Tommy Stinson has kept busy as both a frontman (Bash & Pop, Perfect) and a bassist in two bands (Guns N’ Roses, Soul Asylum).

With the self-released One Man Mutiny, Stinson finally got around to recording his follow-up to his 2004 solo debut, Village Gorilla Head. These ten songs don’t offer a lot of surprises but still manage to give a solid overview of the Minneapolis native’s songwriting skill set.

Opener “Don’t Deserve You” is a jangly stomper that quickly gives way to other gems—the slide-soaked Exile On Main Street earworm “It’s a Drag,” the ethereal slack-key guitar-kissed “Zero to Stupid” and “Destroy Me,” a duet with fiancée Emily Roberts who comes off sounding like Lucinda Williams.

‘Mats fans will be psyched to discover “Match Made In Hell,” a tongue-in-cheek odd couple ditty with a luau vibe that was co-written by Paul Westerberg. Stinson’s sophomore bow will also have a portion of album sales go towards funding Haiti’s Timatec Schools, an organization that houses and provides skilled trade education for abandone and orphaned youths in Port-au-Prince.

Rating: 7.5/10

Tommy Stinson will perform at Union Hall on Sunday, 4.15.