Photo courtesy Scott Newton & KLRU
Over the past decade and a half, My Morning Jacket emerged as one of the most beloved indie-folk bands on the scene. At the forefront of that band was the always captivating Jim James. Earlier this year, James dropped his first solo album Regions of Light and Sound of God, which incorporates elements of R&B and soul as well as atmospheric synth production. In general, the album was a likable but surprising debut.
Photo courtesy Scott Newton & KLRU
For his performance on the ACL stage, James essentially performed the album in its entirety and in order, which a few shortcuts and embellishments. This collection of songs works better live than on the album, which a result of James and his band’s captivating stage presence. James shuffled around the stage, smoothly crooning the organ-centered opening verse of “State of the Art” before crisp drums punctuate the mix. James’ charisma surpassed any expectation I had as he grooved and glided between bouts of whaling on his flying-V guitar and blasting out some notes on his saxophone. However, most impressive must have been the fidelity and clarity with which the backing synth sounds were recreated on tracks like “Know Til Now” and “Of The Mother Again.”
Photo courtesy Scott Newton & KLRU
Frequently, James would leave the stage to stand near his golden panda as if a mystic praying to some holy shrine. Once, he even lifted the panda over his head for everyone to see. Although it was usually just James who secluded himself in the corner to strangely and quietly headbang, his entire band save the drummer departed at the end of “Dear One.” Their reason was obvious as the drummer, now isolated onstage delivered some of the most impressive feats of drumming I’ve ever seen. Incredible and rapid syncopation between the kick and hi-hat was sustained as epic snare and tom solos ensued for minutes on end until the entire band reunited onstage for an epic conclusion to the song.
Photo courtesy Scott Newton & KLRU
The later songs in the set delved into more ethereal and surreal sounds, blending together more than the early songs but sounding equally as radiant. After a short departure, James returned to perform most of the My Morning Jacket song “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” solo acoustic as well as renditions of Monsters of Folk’s “His Master’s Voice” and a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “Changing World.” Overall, James accomplished a tremendous amount with the extremely limited amount of solo material at his disposal. But that’s to be expected from the experienced creative genius he has proven himself to be.
