OKONOKOS - MY MORNING JACKET
It’s high time one of America’s best live bands committed its stage show to disc, and “Okonokos” delivers as powerful a wake-up call to the ears as seeing MMJ in the flesh. Vocalist Jim James lets it rip on “What a Wonderful Man,” “One Big Holiday” and the spine-tingling “Gideon,” while the band jams “Dondante” and “Steam Engine” into 11-minute rock epics. MMJ also proves its versatility on more intimate material such as “Golden” and “I Will Sing You Songs,” which is handled with the finesse of players twice their age. The track list rightfully goes heavy on last year’s outstanding “Z” (opener “Wordless Chorus,” the jolly “Off the Record”). But it also dips into the back catalog for delightful obscurities such as “O Is the One That Is Real” and the countrified “Xmas Curtain.” More, please! Billboard
