Shotgun Jimmie wears his journeys well. The hardened hours on transcontinental highways haven’t worn a single note out of his character, and Everything, Everything traces those winding roads quite nicely. Over the breadth of the last decade, Jim Kilpatrick has amassed more than a few stories worth telling, and—to the benefit of the medium—he became his own musical accompaniment as well. The beauty of Everything, Everything is in its structure because, though the composition of these songs lies solely with Jim himself, the tailoring of his ideas sits with Shotgun Jimmie’s execution. Each song is lined with unwavering confidence: the action of this record sustains itself; its rises and falls light up with a sun-bleached energy that never burns out. Shotgun Jimmie doesn’t tire from his travels; he turns them into anthems that champion everyday existence. There’s a familiarity in these songs that stitches every event together as a rare and forthright chain letter, with every sender emanating the importance of individual experience. I hope Shotgun Jimmie continues to make frequent sweeps of the country, and if he doesn’t, I hope this album moves you to traverse the world yourself.
