By David Werther.

Jim James, Regions of Light and Sound of God (Atorecords.com, 2013)

           In Regions of Light and Sound of God, Jim James, leader of My Morning Jacket, and member of the super group Monsters of Folk, goes solo with a soulful collection of original songs. An earlier solo recording, Tribute To, released under the moniker Yim Yames, consists of a half dozen George Harrison songs, including a strikingly beautiful rendition of “Long, Long, Long” from the Beatles’ white album. In Regions of Light and Sound of God James follows Harrison by tackling religious themes, though he often sounds a good deal like another Beatle, John Lennon. “Of the Mother Again” could have come from the Double Fantasy sessions, and one suspects Lennon would have approved of James’ biblical rewrite “to be seated at the right hand OF THE MOTHER AGAIN” [James’ emphasis]. In “All is Forgiven” James’ saxophone evokes the middle east, in keeping with his reference to Allah. “God’s Love” has a Lennon-like ethereal soundscape, a perfect fit for the song’s opening reference to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream.” If there had ever been a post-Beatles Lennon-Harrison collaboration, it could have sounded a lot like Regions of Light and Sound of God.