Jim James, the ever-engaging frontman
for Kentucky's My Morning Jacket has once again struck out away from
his “day job” band with his new album Regions Of Light And
Sound Of God. This is certainly not the first time with his stint
on indie-folk supergroup Monsters Of Folk and his tribute EP to the
late George Harrison under the pseudo-pseudonym Yim Yames. But this
time around he has deemed it necessary to use his real name. It is a
subtle gesture but one that shows that this album is not just by him;
it is about him. To achieve this he has stripped away the six-string
bluster and sky-shaking prog that he made his name with. So what are
you left with?
One thing that will never change is
James' achingly angelic voice. The first track, a wonderfully subdued
'State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U)' uses this mighty instrument for all
that it is worth. Every single song (excluding the instrumental
'Exploding') is elevated by his vocal phrasing and delivery. In
lesser hands some of these songs would collapse into airy nothings –
a chorus here, a fragment of melody there – but through sheer
strength of personality alone James keeps things in check and
progressing forwards. This album is about freedom – the freedom of
solo-hood and also freedom of creative expression. To this end Jim
James has dragged in sounds from many different eras and genres to
flesh out his core sound. 'Dear One' alludes ever so gently to the
new-wave-prog shtick of King Crimson's Beat / Three Of A Perfect
Pair era. Serene shades of doo-wop creeps into the back half of
'New Life', giving it, what else, new life.
As with many solo debuts not every song
on Regions Of Light And Sound Of God holds quite enough water
or has quite enough impact. 'Know Till Now' meanders along at a
sedated pace, only the organ-led outro saves it from drudgery. A song
like 'All Is Forgiven' sounds as though it is already defeated, more
of a request than a statement. If you were a died-in-the-wool MMJ fan
of old, accustomed to their riff-slinging backwoods fury and
resistant to any deviation from that formula, then this album (just
like Evil Urges and Circuital, in fact) may not be for
you. In spite of his other forays into solo performance, Regions
Of Light And Sound Of God is Jim James' more earnest attempt to
step out from his band's colossal shadow. The creation of this record
has allowed him to contemplate deeper things and spread his wings
without posing any risk to MMJ's powerful mojo.
Rating: B-
Recommended tracks: State Of The Art
(A.E.I.O.U), Dear One
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