My Morning Jacket singer adopts silly
pseudonym, lionizes George Harrison
In 2001, George Harrison’s passing so
moved My Morning Jacket singer Jim James that he recorded six solo
covers with just himself, an acoustic guitar, and enough reverb to
trap the ghost of the Quiet One for a few measures. In 2009, James
got around the releasing the recordings as an EP, Tribute To. Drawing
from Harrison’s Beatles output as well as his solo material, these
skeletal songs are somberly reverent, yet James avoids easy,
painted-on intimacy and dramatic eulogizing. “My Sweet Lord”
bursts with Technicolor layered vocals, redeeming an otherwise
obvious cover, and James adds banjo to “Love You To,” drenching
it in mountain psychedelica that predicts the rise of Fleet Foxes.
The casualness of the performances suggests an attempt to capture the
spirit of grief and gratitude while it was still fresh. Tribute To
may be minor in James’ catalog, but it proves surprisingly moving
in its off-the-cuff run-throughs.