Review: Early James ‘Medium Raw’
By Hal Horowitz
Dan Auerbach understands a fancy studio isn’t necessary to record quality music. Often, just the opposite is true;the more primitive the conditions, the better to capture the essence of the artist. That’s especially true concerning Early James and the circumstances behind ‘Medium Raw,’ his third album for Auerbach’s Easy Eye imprint.
“The comforts and luxury of the studio …wasn’t right for this project. I felt like we might get better results if we did it in a house,” he explains in the disc’s promotional notes. Producer Auerbach, James and his band decamped at a 100 year old building in Nashville named Honky Chateau (no relation to Elton John’s album), brought an old tube console built by FAME Studios’ Rick Hall and captured these dozen tunes in a predominantly live, one take fashion.
The results of this unusual environment are immediately evident. On opening track “Steely Knives,” James fingerpicks his acoustic guitar as stand-up bass and primitive drums accompany him. He might be young, but James hollers and wails as if he’s channeling an old soul; mixing blues, rock, folk, bluegrass and gospel into a careening voice that zigzags, staggers and arches, as if every song is his last. He sings “I’m just a dead man walking” with the howling intensity those words imply.
On “Rag Doll,” where he compares a doomed romantic relationship to feeling like the titular plaything, he sings “But with a hand creeping up my spine/My thoughts could never be mine” over a clomping beat so similar to that of Tom Waits’ music, it seems like an outtake from one of his albums. James suddenly changes tempo to a jazzier slant, then shifts back. It’s cool and ragged, just like Auerbach wants it.
That prepares us for James’ raw slog through the swamps for “Dig to China,” at nearly seven minutes, the set’s longest and edgiest selection. “Just lie to me, lie to me, now lie” he yowls like the hellhound on his trail just caught him. Skeletal drums, steely/creepy guitar and stand-up bass allow James to curve and crawl his voice like a snake out of its element. Sheer intensity.
That groove lingers on “Unspeakable Thing,” an early single and riveting video wherein a pair of seemingly innocent hitchhikers turn out to be more dangerous than they seem. The gruesome visuals may not connect with the song’s lyrics, but they capture the music’s darkness and uneasiness. The closing “I Got This Problem” where James rips off a twisted guitar solo within a stomping blues that wouldn’t be out of place on a 60s John Lee Hooker set, ends the album on an appropriately rowdy note.
James often slurs his words which, while injecting authenticity, encourages checking the lyric sheet to understand what he’s wailing about. Like many poets, the themes aren’t clear.
Between an untethered approach, vocally and instrumentally, that threatens to derail at any moment (but never does), Early James creates another stunning release that’s even darker and edgier than before. Credit goes to Auerbach for helping craft the mood on ‘Medium Raw,’ allowing James the space and atmosphere to turn in his finest, most striking work.
Pre-order the album here
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