My Morning Jacket vocalist Jim James has announced he's taking another breather from the long-running project to deliver his second solo album. Given the phonetically and philosophically balanced title of Eternally Even, it arrives November 4 via ATO/Capitol Records.
The musician explained in a statement that the new record, which follows 2013's Regions of Light and Sound of God, is politically driven, exploring a "broken and corrupt" political system and themes of climate change, while expressing the hope that humanity can fix things "before it's too late."
"I still have hope in humanity," he offers. "I'm just trying to be a part of the discussion and encourage people to speak out for equality, to not be afraid to speak out for peace and love."
His full statement reads:
I wanted to make an album that hopefully speaks to the issues of the day, many of which, sadly, are issues we have been dealing with since the beginning of time. Most of what I think about right now is how so many things in the world are SO fucked up- our political system is broken and corrupt...our earth is being destroyed by climate change...people are not treating each other with equality and respect... and I think- are we going to make it? Are we going to figure it out and fix it before it's too late? Can we ever truly open our hearts and embrace love in all its beautiful forms? I think it's still possible. I still have hope in humanity. I'm just trying to be a part of the discussion and encourage people to speak out for equality, to not be afraid to speak out for peace and love. All of us feel afraid at times in these absolutely insane times, but its important we speak our minds, cast our votes, and do not give in to fear and hatred.
Neither the tracklisting nor audio previews for the record have been released just yet, though James has announced an upcoming U.S. tour and you can see the dates listed below.
UPDATE (9/23, 11:45 a.m. EDT): James has now revealed the tracklisting for the upcoming record. See it below.
1. Hide in Plain Sight
2. Same Old Lie
3. Here In Spirit
4. World's Smiling Now
5. We Ain't Getting Any Younger Pt. 1
6. We Ain't Getting Any Younget Pt. 2
7. True Nature
8. In the Moment
9. Eternally Even
Tour dates:
09/28 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet's
09/29 Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre
09/30 San Francisco, CA - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
10/01 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore Auditorium
11/15 Boston, MA - Royale
11/16 Boston, MA - Royale
11/18 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philly
11/19 Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
11/20 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/22 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
11/23 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
11/25 Louisville, KY - Palace Theater
11/26 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
11/27 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
11/29 Saint Louis, MO - The Pageant
11/30 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
12/01 Minneapolis, MN - State Theater
12/03 Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
12/05 Missoula, MT - The Wilma Theatre
12/06 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
12/07 Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
12/10 Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
12/11 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
12/13 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Live
12/14 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
12/16 Houston, TX - House of Blues
12/17 New Orleans, LA - The Civic Theatre
The musician explained in a statement that the new record, which follows 2013's Regions of Light and Sound of God, is politically driven, exploring a "broken and corrupt" political system and themes of climate change, while expressing the hope that humanity can fix things "before it's too late."
"I still have hope in humanity," he offers. "I'm just trying to be a part of the discussion and encourage people to speak out for equality, to not be afraid to speak out for peace and love."
His full statement reads:
I wanted to make an album that hopefully speaks to the issues of the day, many of which, sadly, are issues we have been dealing with since the beginning of time. Most of what I think about right now is how so many things in the world are SO fucked up- our political system is broken and corrupt...our earth is being destroyed by climate change...people are not treating each other with equality and respect... and I think- are we going to make it? Are we going to figure it out and fix it before it's too late? Can we ever truly open our hearts and embrace love in all its beautiful forms? I think it's still possible. I still have hope in humanity. I'm just trying to be a part of the discussion and encourage people to speak out for equality, to not be afraid to speak out for peace and love. All of us feel afraid at times in these absolutely insane times, but its important we speak our minds, cast our votes, and do not give in to fear and hatred.
Neither the tracklisting nor audio previews for the record have been released just yet, though James has announced an upcoming U.S. tour and you can see the dates listed below.
UPDATE (9/23, 11:45 a.m. EDT): James has now revealed the tracklisting for the upcoming record. See it below.
1. Hide in Plain Sight
2. Same Old Lie
3. Here In Spirit
4. World's Smiling Now
5. We Ain't Getting Any Younger Pt. 1
6. We Ain't Getting Any Younget Pt. 2
7. True Nature
8. In the Moment
9. Eternally Even
Tour dates:
09/28 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet's
09/29 Ventura, CA - Ventura Theatre
09/30 San Francisco, CA - Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
10/01 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore Auditorium
11/15 Boston, MA - Royale
11/16 Boston, MA - Royale
11/18 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philly
11/19 Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
11/20 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/22 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
11/23 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
11/25 Louisville, KY - Palace Theater
11/26 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
11/27 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
11/29 Saint Louis, MO - The Pageant
11/30 Omaha, NE - Slowdown
12/01 Minneapolis, MN - State Theater
12/03 Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
12/05 Missoula, MT - The Wilma Theatre
12/06 Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
12/07 Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
12/10 Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl
12/11 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
12/13 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Live
12/14 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
12/16 Houston, TX - House of Blues
12/17 New Orleans, LA - The Civic Theatre