Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) – Yim Yames
Given my absolute soul-clenching hatred for the last My Morning Jacket, it’s such a breath of fresh air to hear Jim James (pseudononymously going by Yim Yames) getting back to his roots on Tribute To, a short EP of songs covering some of the more obscure George Harrison cuts.
Okay, maybe ‘fresh’ isn’t really the right word – since there is definitely nothing surprising or new here. In this case, the Pitchfork review from Paul Thompson is quite apt: “Not only does he sing these Harrison songs just like Jim James, but if you’ve spent any amount of time around either, what you’re currently hearing in your head couldn’t be closer to the truth.”
That’s just about right. He doesn’t add anything tremendously unique to any of these tracks – or rather, he adds one unique thing, his voice, to each of the tracks in pretty much the same way.
The thing is, I don’t seem to mind. Most of the songs are from Harrison’s debut solo record (All Things Must Pass) – which is probably the second best solo record any of the four ever made, and it’s well suited for James’ brand of reverb-drenched vocals and faded sonic pictographs.
I appreciate this record mostly for its sense of genuine appreciation. Almost across the board, the originals are preferable – but I don’t necessarily see that as a problem. The care with which one artist treats the work of another. The feeling and passion that it reveals can be worth it for its own sake.
And there is one track that I think is improved: “Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll).” It was always one of my favorite Harrison tracks, but I still felt like there was something that didn’t quite gel. James nails it, slowing things down and letting the darkness rise all around.