After they finished recording 2015's
The Waterfall,
My Morning Jacket appeared to fade from view, playing only a handful of shows as singer/guitarist
Jim James and lead guitarist
Carl Broemel released solo material and the other members of the group worked on other projects. When they finally did release an album in 2020,
The Waterfall II, it was compiled from outtakes from the
Waterfall sessions, which would lead any fan to wonder if
MMJ had any sort of future. As it happens, they did -- a four-show run in 2019 prompted them to return to the studio to work on new material, and 2021's
My Morning Jacket finds the band back in fighting shape and embracing their eclectic psychedelic roots rock vision with passion and clarity. The
Waterfall albums captured them sounding overcooked and poorly focused, seeming less adventurous and more the work of a band that just couldn't make up their mind, which made
MMJ's radio silence all the more alarming.
My Morning Jacket takes plenty of stylistic twists and turns over the course of 60 minutes, but it sounds much more organic and of a piece, and this band is sounding more like a band here, five musicians who are on the journey together, no matter how many detours they choose to take. As always,
Jim James' fusion of
Dylanesque mumble and soul man's wailing is something of an acquired taste, but as with their best work, it works well in context and goes a long way towards establishing and maintaining a mood, and guitarist
Broemel, bassist
Tom Blankenship, keyboardist
Bo Koster, and drummer
Patrick Hallahan lock in with confidence alongside him. Whether they're digging into the hard rock strut of "Complex," enjoying the blissed-out drift of "In Color," nailing the soulful groove of "Never in the Real World," exploring the slow, jazzy contemplation of "The Devil's in the Details," navigating the wild mood swings of "Lucky to Be Alive," or taking in the pleasures of the glossy dance pulse of "Love Love Love," this is a band that's fully engaged and sounds more comfortable than they have in the studio for a while. And while the performances and production are tight and well structured, they haven't forgotten what makes them a great live band on
My Morning Jacket -- the music has a natural sense of following its own path, and they're not afraid of a good rave-up where the guitars are free to wail. (It's doubtless no coincidence that
James engineered and produced the session, without an outside influence to get in the way of their progress.)
My Morning Jacket is
MMJ's most satisfying work since 2008's
Evil Urges, and a splendid example of what can happen when their group mind is in sync. ~ Mark Deming