#4 Album of 2005

My Morning Jacket – Z
[ATO Records; released 10/4/05]

This is the first MMJ album I have purchased and from what I’ve read this album is kind of a new direction for Jim James and the band. Previous albums have left the Louisville, KY group with all sorts of southern rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd comparisons. However, this is a beautiful album with great vocals with plenty of reverb and some music that contains a more atmospheric sound rather than rocking guitar licks. That’s not to say this is an experimental album, because there is certainly some great rock moments. “Lay Low” has maybe the best guitar solo of the year while the catchy “Off the Record” forgoes a guitar solo for an outro of synthesizing instrumentals. Its hard to put a finger on what makes Z such a brilliant album, but the music, lyrics, and vocals all just seem to fit together perfectly. When all is said and done I guess what makes this a great album is the fact that it is one of the best sing along and/or air guitar releases of the year. I’d say that’s pretty impressive for an album that’s supposed to represent a shift from the southern rock sound that previous releases had been labeled with. The album's title Z could represent the end of an era to an extent for MMJ, and the start of a new sound. It's a transition album for My Morning Jacket and judging by the music on this release, everyone should be excited for what the future holds for the band.

#3 on Wednesday...