My Morning Jacket – It Still Moves

Almost Awesome

I am almost a fan of My Morning Jacket…almost. With lazy, summery, lemonade-and-hammocks drum beats; twangy, Mazzy Star and Cranberries-ish guitar parts; Beach Boys-esque harmonies; and lead vocals somewhat reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian and Catherine Wheel…this band is almost completely awesome.The thing that stands in the way of total “awesomeness” is when James Jam goes to reach those high notes. His voice loses its fullness, stretches thinly, and you realize that he just doesn’t have that desired range. Once you realize that, you also become aware of how nasally his voice actually is. It becomes strained, and no amount of reverb or digital voice-modification can bring back the illusion that it had once sounded good. This is what causes the “almost awesome” album’s luster to go dim. It’s quite a shame, because the album is actually worth a listen. Perhaps the band could find a singer that better fit their sound, either someone that has a better range or knows how to support their voice like Rivers Cuomo, or someone with a scratchy, so-obviously-untrained-that-it-works voice like Kurt Cobain. The record flows well, is masterfully produced, and with the exception of Jam’s voice is enjoyable. If only My Morning Jacket could find a way to rectify their singer’s problem, It Still Moves would be a solid album.