Summary
The big question was how they could possibly follow such a startling debut. In a word: easily. Not for them the curse of the sophomore slump. If anything, this is even more cocksure and swaggering than the first. It's meatier sounding, stomping and sexy (particularly on the ridiculously lust-fuelled "Do You Want To"), brimming with wit and arch foppishness (no change there). There are hints of tenderness this time too--whether it's refusing to judge and condemn a junkie friend on "The Fallen," or in the simple, touching but never cloying ballad "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" (a gentle ode to [Alex Kapranos]' latest squeeze, the Fiery Furnaces' Eleanor Friedberger).
There are shades of R&B and soul (check out the gobsmacking opener "Wordless Chorus," on which vocalist Jim James' heartrending falsetto recalls Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye at their peak); the reggae of "Off the Record" (I know, I know: White guys doing reggae is often an unnecessary crime against humanity, but in this case, through sheer verve and enthusiasm, they pull it off); and even a woozy, backwoods Carny waltz ("Into the Woods") that kicks off with the surreal, "A kitten on fire/ A baby in a blender," and grows increasingly warped.What really stand out are Jim James' vocals. A godlike singer at the best of times, throughout this album he's truly heroic, almost singing out of his skin. It's inspiring, uplifting stuff from start to finish. Admittedly, MMJ tend to run out of steam toward the end of the album, but the first three quarters are so strong, so fabulous and so focused, that for my money, Z is My Morning Jacket's strongest set yet.See the full content of this document
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Thunder, Lightning, StrikeCOLUMBIAWow. One listen to this glorious, ramshackle, candy-colored pop explosion and I was grinning like a loon. Two listens and I was dancing around the kitchen, while the cat looked on in mild disdain. Three listens and I had to be physically restrained...See the full content of this document
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