CD Review

Jim James’ heavy howl borders on Elvis grandiosity and isolationist pain. On the strength of My Morning Jacket’s 2003 epic release It Still Moves, James and the rest of the outfit have released the five song E.P Acoustic Citsuoca, recorded at a low key Halloween show at the Startime Pavilion in Braintree, Massachusetts. Fresh from a late winter tour with Bright Eye’s Connor Oberst and Matt Ward, James’s mystical songs are gathering acclaim from fans and contemporaries alike, and this E.P. further allows for James’ voice to carry the weight.

In the acoustic realm, My Morning Jacket’s now signature electric reverb sound is spared in favor of more sparse and delicate song fashioning. Three songs off earlier MMJ albums - "The Bear," "Bermuda Highway," and "Hopefully" - brand a secluded yet personal introduction on some dusty James classics. However, it’s the version of the twangy bar room rocker ‘Golden" from It Still Moves, that is Acoustic Citsuoca's high point. When James howls, "people always told me that bars are dark and lonely," this private party in New England is graced with a hazy saloon aura, truly capturing My Morning Jacket’s imagination of straddling country and rock.