Early James – Medium Raw (Easy Eye/Concord) 13th Floor Album Review
Early James takes over Buddy’s Honky Chateau and teams up with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to serve up 12 new tracks that are Medium Raw.
Early James is Fredrick James Mullis Jr. a Troy, Alabama native who was discovered by Dan Auerbach a few years ago and signed to his Easy Eye label.
Medium Raw is the third collaboration between James and Auerbach and it is to Dan’s credit in sticking with Early despite not really tearing up the charts with the previous two records.
Like The Black Keys, Early James’ sound is based in the blues, but from a slightly different angle. Inspired by the likes of Fred McDowell and Lightnin’ Hopkins, James and Auerbach decided to convert a 100+ year old house into a studio and so Buddy’s Honky Chateau was built in Nashville.
“It’s a house with a lot of character,” Auerbach says. “I’ve always loved it. I always felt inspired when I was there. I knew it would be a fun place to do something. It’s over a hundred years old. It’s got the old plaster on the walls, plaster ceilings, old wallpaper. There are big oak floors and an oak stairwell. The first floor has twelve-and-a-half-foot ceilings. It’s pretty awesome. But it’s not a recording studio by any means.”
And it has a sound all its own. You can hear it in the rattle of the snare and a space between the strings.
The record begins with an Early James original, Steely Knives. The freewheelin’ track starts with an acoustic guitar, then bass, then drums as it builds a head of steam and sets up what is to follow. Early James’ gritty voice has been compared to Tom Waits but he’s got his own sound.
On Nothing Surprises Me Anymore (written by Sheryl Crow collaborator Jeff Trott) Early barks out the word “nothin’!” while the band provides plenty of bite.
Playing with Early…”live” in the makeshift studio is drummer Jeff Clemens, bass player Adrian Marmolejo and percussionist Sam Bacco.
Auerbach is behind the glass and together they make a racket that feels about as authentic as one can get in this day and age.
For me, the album really kicks in with track four, Go Down Swinging. Written by Langhorne Slim, the vibe is slow, seductive and just a little creepy.
“I hear the fat lady singin’, so let me go down swingin”…Slim an obvious baseball fan.
Its followed by Rag Doll, a feisty Early James original that shifts from a up-tempo blues to a slippery jazz thang…and back again.
I Could Just Die Right Now also stands out, partly due to a melody line reminiscent of an old Elvis tune, Tryin’ To Get To You. Early turns in a particularly emotive vocal performance while the band lays back on this languid ballad.
While it starts slow, the album builds up in energy, emotion and song quality as it reaches its finale. I Got This Problem…a co-write with Auerbach and Pat McLaughlin…finds Early James letting loose with some scorching electric guitar as the band rattles away behind him.
Medium Raw is a record that eventually sounds like much more than the sum of its parts. Buddy’s Honky Chateau does indeed have its own vibe but so do Early James and his band. It’s a sound you’ll want to hear.
Marty Duda
Early James’ Medium Raw is released Friday, January 10th, 2025. Click here to pre-order.
