The past decade has seen Indigenous slim down from a sibling quartet into a solo vehicle for singer/songwriter Mato Nanji. He continues to draw upon his Sioux heritage for inspiration on 2008’s Broken Lands, though the references are more inferential than explicit. Musically, there’s little Native American influence evident in Nanji’s burly blues-rock sound. In fact, much of Broken Lands is reminiscent of ‘70s Southern rock (particularly Lynyrd Skynyrd at their most primal),with a little John Mellancamp tossed in. If the album’s romantic complaints and workaday ruminations are familiar, Nanji invests his songs with enough frankness and gumption to make them worthwhile. His meaty guitar riffs and gravel-seasoned vocals lend authority to tracks like “It’s Alright With Me,” “Just Can’t Hide,” “I Can’t Pretend,” and “Waiting.” “All Night Long” has a slippery Jimmy Reed blues groove, and “Make a Change” gets a Tex-Mex treatment. While most of the songs deal with love problems, “Place I Know” stands out for its unsparing depiction of life on the reservation. Nanji deserves praise for his no-nonsense aesthetic and rough-cut integrity.