My Morning Jacket

Live From Las Vegas: Exclusively at the Palms

(iTunes)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Since becoming the recipients of a blizzard of music biz buzz – which reached fever pitch after 2005’s masterful  Z – My Morning Jacket have enjoyed keeping folks guessing.   Last year’s Evil Urges was a curveball that received (and deserved) the most respectfully lukewarm reviews of the band’s career; frontman Jim James channeled Prince and the band got uber-goofy on “Highly Suspicious.”  But once they were back on the road, they continued to build a rightful reputation as one of the best rock bands to see in concert.

To kick off 2009, they’ve released a digital-only live EP to iTunes.  The MMJ live experience has already been well documented on the double-disc set Okonokos – and the band isn’t interested in repeating themselves here.  Instead, Live from Las Vegas at the Palms presents the softer side of the band – not as eye-popping as the side of the band that features James yowling into a silo of reverb while riffs and hair fly around all over state, but a vital side of the band nonetheless.  For some folks, My Morning Jacket used to be a band for hungover mornings and mix tapes meant to either seduce or sulk (depending on the slow song).  That slow, soft side of MMJ is on full display on these six tracks.  How full?  The band insists that the real title – in addition to some longwinded salutes to engineer Ryan Pickett – is Candles and Panties ’08.

If the crowd seems respectfully quiet even for slower songs, it’s because there isn’t a crowd; the album was recorded live at the Palms casino, but not in front of a live audience, per se.  The band starts with a warm version of “Tonight I Want To Celebrate With You,” sounding like a valentine to any old fans who have felt left by the wayside.  The modern era gets represented by Z’s “Knot Comes Loose” (which sticks closely to the script) and “Thank You Too” from Evil Urges.

The chronological star of the show is the Tennessee Fire era that came a decade ago (egads).  While the most valuable piece for MMJ fans will be the previously unreleased “Dear Wife” – a solid if not spectacular addition to the catalog – the highlights here are the updates of “From Nashville To Kentucky” and “They Ran.”  Lifted by lovely harmonies and featuring James in typically fine voice, the two tracks do the neat trick of transporting fans back to enchanted midnights spent first discovering a band bound for bigger stages – while seamlessly updating the material to reflect the time and growth that have transpired.   Lovely stuff.