Photo By Jesse Goldberger

Jim James
Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON
April 24

Frontman. Poet. Weirdo. Wizard. Sage.

As the magnetic leader of My Morning Jacket – surely one of the best American acts of the past decade and change (and arguably of all time) – Jim James has cultivated an enigmatic persona. It came as no surprise that the Kentucky crooner kept the bar high for his recent “solo” stop in Toronto, a performance still quite early in the life of his new backing band. Devoting his set to a track-by-track run through of Regions of Light and Sound of God – the superlative record that was released in early February – James proved as charismatic and strong-voiced as ever. Pseudo-spiritual, multi-instrumental, and soaked in reverb, he transcended all definitions.

A rainbow L.E.D. backdrop – simple and effective – recalled an era that’s evoked throughout James’ personal/original debut, the suited singer leaning into a heavy guitar solo that screamed late-70s during opener “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.).” The cracked-soul vibe that permeates much of the material was in full force on single “Know Til Now,” with James grabbing a saxophone for the campy klezmer outro. Then “Dear One” came raging out of the three spot with spine-tingling glam decadence. The standout album cut became a live monster, the kind of tune that deserves to be saved for later in the show, when the time calls for cranking it up several notches. James ripped on guitar once again, Kevin Ratterman powered his way through an early drum break, and all was right with the world.

The surgically placed “A New Life” naturally worked even better as a cool down than on the album, James’ slightly demented take on classic Americana wearing many hats, as cool balladry rolled into doo-wop before finally sweeping the room up in a gospel freak out. The warm country amble of ’Exploding" could have been plucked from the score of a sleepy Western, and “Of the Mother Again” showcased the bands ability to improvise – stretching into synthesized string-laden bliss.

After the uneventful slo-mo space of “Actress,” the final two songs of the set capped off the new record with splendid range. The middle-Eastern feel of “All is Forgiven” came with pulsing bass and foreboding shaker, James fully getting his shaman on at long last. The tacked-on breakbeat bonus section spurned a brief dance party, wild electronic sounds taking over to create a truly unique moment within a night of unique moments. This all-out rocker soon faded into the eerie prologue of “God’s Love to Deliver,” the warped closer extending into mournful meditation with James on sax and a bewildering vocal sample to wrap it up. Going out on an utterly odd note; vintage Yim Yames.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be than Toronto in the rain”, the ringleader proclaimed at the outset of the encore. Despite playing an MMJ tune (“Wonderful”) and a handful by his side project/super group Monsters of Folk (“Dear God,” “His Master’s Voice,” “The Right Place”), James could not top the near-perfect spectacle that his album-in-full wielded. Should he release another solo record in the future, current newbies like “Dear One” will have the chance to wow late in the game. In closing shows on this tour, a cover of the New Multitudes’ “Changing World” rocked the house to complete a memorable occasion.

Everything Jim James touches turns to sweet, melodic gold. No matter what anyone might call him, his gifts shine brightly while his mystery endures.