Regions Of Light And Sound Of God
by Jim James

From RockyRaccoon TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/10/2013 00:46 | #80793

There’s always been something kind of otherworldly about Jim James, the way he sings, the way he sounds. He fits perfectly with My Morning Jacket, creating a rock band that has some roots rock in it, but can branch out to the spacey, ethereal rock that Jim James’ voice is so well suited for. And now there’s this, James’ first solo album. This album is much more contained, for lack of a better word, than a My Morning Jacket album. It sounds like it’s just James holed up in a studio for weeks doing this all on his own, and he does it quite well. Whether it’s the folky “A New Life" or the beautiful instrumental “Exploding" that leads into “Of The Mother Again", I appreciate this album, especially considering I’m such a fan of My Morning Jacket. It has its slow moments, specifically with “State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U.)" which, while having a good message of not being constrained by new recording technology, falls a little flat musically, consisting of about a minute and a half of James saying the vowels over and over again, though perhaps that’s the minimalist approach to it that he’s going for. Overall though, the album is certainly worth listening to.

From buzzdainer TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/30/2017 22:15 | #200318

I'm always a little more wary of solo side projects than I am of side projects that occur after a band has broken up. Artists tend to save their most self-indulgent material for side projects because they know their bandmates aren't having it. That's not at all the case with this album, happily. It's certainly quieter than a My Morning Jacket album, but it's nevertheless high-quality, well-written, impeccably performed material. I'm especially enthralled with "State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)," which asks an essential question for our age: "I used the state of the art / Technology / Supposed to make for better living / Are we better human beings?" I fear that we are not.

Minimal blue-eyed soul, gospel and chilled out soft-rock vibes from the My Morning Jacket frontman. The best album he's put out since Z at least, and probably since It Still Moves. His voice is great throughout, the production suits him and there are a couple of major standouts in 'Know 'Til Now' and 'Of The Mother Again'. A really cohesive listen.

Gets weaker near the end, but as a whole, a solid solo effort from a local hero.

From zdwyatt TOP 100 COMMENTER 10/23/2013 16:05 | #88958

Decent solo effort from the progenitor of the vocals-drenched-in-reverb trend in indie rock.