Yim YamesTribute To
[ATO Records]
In case you were wondering, yes, Yim Yames is the clever alter-ego of Jim James, the tenor voice behind Modern Rock royalty My Morning Jacket. With that out of the way, we can get to the issue at hand, Tribute To. This is an EP of George Harrison covers that has been sitting on a shelf somewhere for 8 years since, being inspired by Harrison’s death, Yames went in the studio and recorded a set of Harrison penned songs for no reason beyond a cathartic exorcism of grief. Mostly acoustic, with minimal overdubbing, this feels like a deeply personal window into Yames’ soul, even though there isn’t an original song in sight here.
With two Harrison songs recorded by The Beatles “Long Long Long” and “Love You To” Yames’ sinewy voice compliments Harrison’s knack for subtle melodies flawlessly. While the other four songs pulled from Harrison’s 1970 masterpiece All Things Must Pass – Yames proves how comfortable he is at handling undeniable classics like “My Sweet Lord” and his beautiful reworking of “All Things Must Pass”. What he does with “Behind That Locked Door” is achingly gorgeous as he utilizes the fragility of his wavering voice with perfection. And what might be the strongest cut on this record (and probably the least known of all the songs here) “Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (let it roll)”. Yames will truly convince you that he was born to sing “Crisp” while at the same time reminding you of how much we really do miss Sir George. Tribute To might be hard to find, but it’s a wonderful collection of tunes and is well worth the journey to seek it out.
With two Harrison songs recorded by The Beatles “Long Long Long” and “Love You To” Yames’ sinewy voice compliments Harrison’s knack for subtle melodies flawlessly. While the other four songs pulled from Harrison’s 1970 masterpiece All Things Must Pass – Yames proves how comfortable he is at handling undeniable classics like “My Sweet Lord” and his beautiful reworking of “All Things Must Pass”. What he does with “Behind That Locked Door” is achingly gorgeous as he utilizes the fragility of his wavering voice with perfection. And what might be the strongest cut on this record (and probably the least known of all the songs here) “Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (let it roll)”. Yames will truly convince you that he was born to sing “Crisp” while at the same time reminding you of how much we really do miss Sir George. Tribute To might be hard to find, but it’s a wonderful collection of tunes and is well worth the journey to seek it out.
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