For more than 25 years, Jim James has proven himself among the most adventurous artists in 21st century rock music. The Louisville, KY-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has captained My Morning Jacket through seismic transformations and restless explorations as they grew from southern misfits to one of the most acclaimed and beloved bands of their generation. At the same time, James has crafted an ancillary catalog of his own, including the soon-to-be-released Wowed Out. His fourth solo studio LP of original songs, and first in eight years, the visionary album sees him transforming a vast archive of music originally composed for two major film-scoring projects in the early 2010s into a luminous, immersive new work of soulful psychedelia.
In addition to his work with My Morning Jacket, James has unfurled a steady string of inventive solo efforts, including 2013’s Regions Of Light And Sound Of God, 2016’s Eternally Even, 2017’s tribute to George Harrison, Tribute To 2, 2018’s Uniform Distortion (and its companion Uniform Clarity), and his 2019 live collaboration with Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra, The Order Of Nature. James has also established himself as an in-demand producer, helming records by Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dean Wareham, Basia Bulat, Amo Amo, and Ray Lamontagne’s Ouroboros. The seemingly indefatigable artist has also found time to join forces with fellow artists on a number of unique collaborative projects, including 2009’s Monsters of Folk, 2012’s New Multitudes, and 2014’s Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes. James’ ever-evolving list of credits also includes lending his voice to albums by The Roots, David Lynch, Brandi Carlile, M. Ward, Dr. Dog, and John Fogarty; appearing in director Todd Haynes’s 2007 Bob Dylan-inspired film, I’m Not There. Through it all, Jim James has stood creatively steadfast, both in his avowed commitment to shapeshifting musical adventure and his deeply humanist search for wonder in a modern world wired for constant astonishment.
“We’re surrounded by all this technology that’s supposed to be so world-changing and amazing, but a lot of the time it just leaves people feeling disconnected,” Jim James says. “I really believe there’s another path through all this bullshit, and it starts with putting down our phones, taking care of ourselves, being kind to other people. We need to be wowed by what’s actually real, like nature and love and music – these things that almost everyone has access to, and that still have the power to truly move us.”
