With the prevalence of artificial intelligence and technology in our everyday lives, artists are looking back to when things were done analogously.
It doesn’t get more analog than “Medium Raw,” the third album by Early James released Jan. 10, 2025 via Easy Eye Sound. The Birmingham, Alabama-based Americana musician recorded the album in “Honky Chateau,” a century-old house owned by the photographer and artist Buddy Jackson in Nashville, Tennessee.
With The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach at the helm as producer, James delivers an authentic performance for 46 minutes and 48 seconds that lives up to its name.
“We had to drag all the gear in there. We set the little mixing console upstairs — this crazy, wild old ’50s Universal Audio tube console that I’d just gotten and fixed up, which was built by FAME Studios’ Rick Hall for his studio in Memphis — in a spare bedroom, and we ran the wires down the stairs. We set up James and everyone in separate little rooms downstairs. James’ little Princeton amp was right behind him, there were no baffles or anything, and so when he was soloing it was all bleeding into his vocal mic,” Auerbach said in a release.
“Adrian Marmolejo, James’ bassist since the beginning, was in the hallway, peeking around the corner. We had these beautiful microphones sucking up the soul of the house. It sounded fucking amazing. When you have headphones on, you can hear that room. You can even see the room when you close your eyes.”
You can hear the hallowed sound from the opening track, “Steely Knives,” on which James sounds both fierce and at ease at the microphone.
In addition to Marmolejo on bass, the lineup includes Jeffrey Clemens on drums and Sam Bacco on percussion, adding to the stripped-down and passionate sound.
The album features a combination of originals by James, like the leading track, as well as songs co-written by many artists with Auerbach. He collaborated with Nashville songwriter Pat McLaughlin on “I Got This Problem,” Sheryl Crow’s frequent collaborator Jeff Trott on “Nothing Surprises Me Anymore,” roots singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim on“Go Down Swinging,” Irish songwriter Mick Flannery on “Upside Down Umbrella,” and James’ former Birmingham roommate Ryan Sobb on “Unspeakable Thing.”
The album also features a re-recording of “Dig To China,” a fan-favorite first released on James’ debut EP.
James shows incredible guitar playing on “Steely Knives,” and vocal range on “Nothing Surprises Me Anymore.” By the time the third track kicks in, “Tinfoil Hat,” it shows that he is unafraid to swim in deep psychedelic blues waters.
James has a swinging swagger on “Rag Doll,” where he pairs his classic voice with searing guitar solos that leap out of the amplifier and move the track forward.
Fans of Billy Strings and the bluegrass revival will jump on the “Gravy Train” with James and ride it to the sweet promised land of Americana. Even the lighter fingerpicking on the track keeps the track on time James’ signature sound. By the end of the track, he’s proudly proclaiming like a revivalist preacher.
The bluegrass and blues fans will also be pulled toward “Upside Down Umbrella,” which combines the two genes with James’ powerful voice, fusing them together.
On the country ballad “I Could Just Die Right Now,” James slows things down and matches his tone with that of his singing guitar. He ends the song with a wry lyric, “‘Cause livin’ is a young man’s game.”
He keeps the steady pace on “Beauty Queen,” where James delivers an authentic performance that hits home for this Atlantic City-based writer, where the Miss America pageant was first held. It combines that century-old sound with lines like “Depressed in paradise, busy checkin’ unicorns for lice.”
The version of “Dig for China” recorded for “Medium Raw” maintains the gritty feel of the original but is tighter and more refined than ever before while at the same time sounding loose and natural.
The album ends with the very loose-sounding “I Got This Problem,” where James sounds like he’s confessing his sins as he delivers the lyrics with authenticity.
Throughout the 12 tracks on “Medium Raw,” Early James delivers his biggest effort with a stripped-down sound.
See Early James Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Eulogy in Asheville, North Carolina, Thursday, Feb. 13 at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Friday, Feb. 14 at MilkBoy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, Feb. 15 at Tubby’s in Kingston, New York, Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Mercury Lounge in New York City, and Thursday, Feb. 20 at Struthers Library Theatre in Warren, Pennslyvania.
Get “Medium Raw” from Easy Eye Sound, Bandcamp, Amazon, Amazon Music, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Deezer and qobuz.
Favorite Tracks
Steely Knives
Nothing Surprises Me Anymore
Tinfoil Hat
Gravy Train
Dig To China
Upside Down Umbrella
