My Morning Jacket, the Louisville, KY outfit that continue to defy categorization, return with a new EP entitled "Chocolate and Ice." Equal parts Southern Blues, Americana and dreamy psychaedelica, My Morning Jacket's appeal stems from, among other things, the hauntingly raw vocals of lead singer and guitarist, Jim James. While seeming to simultaneously channel the spirits of both Neil Young and Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, Jim James leads his musical cohorts along a journey of reverb-drenched melodies, velvet melancholy lyrics, and instrumentation that combines old country swagger with classic pop sentimentality. Best EP Release - My Morning Jacket "Chocolate and Ice EP" (Badman) - WVFS Tallahassee (radio station). Over 40 mins.

While seeming to simultaneously channel the spirits of both Neil Young and Flaming Lips'Wayne Coyne, Jim James leads his musical cohorts along a journey of reverb-drenched melodies, velvet melancholy lyrics, and instrumentation that combines old country swagger with classic pop sentimentality. Live, My Morning Jacket turn the proverbial amp up to 11 and rock so hard that "shards of glass from broken beer bottles thrown against the chickenwire amidst a bar-room brawl only add to the rhythmic mayhem (from a fan website)."

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Reviews
Best EP Release - My Morning Jacket "Chocolate and Ice EP" (Badman)

- WVFS Tallahassee (radio station)

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The druggy, tuneful jams on this six-song EP often sound like Thom Yorke covering the Magnetic Fields in Symphony Hall. The Louisville band combine Jim James's languid echoey vocals with Latin beats, folky acoustic guitar melodies, bluesy bass lines, and occasional funk undertones. Despite the psychedelic haze in the production, "Can You See the Hard Helmet on My Head?" and "Sooner" boast a straightforward poppiness. The 24-minute jam "Cobra" starts with a bass line that could make James Brown feel like sugar and spice, then laces slide-guitar solos, trancy synthesizer, and bongo beats with vocals that occasionally take on a Spanish accent complete with rolled "r's." But the ever-morphing James also evinces an Adam Sandler-like ingenuousness on "Holy" ("I can prove the bitch is holy"), and he spins out a wholesome/seductive Southern drawl on "Sweetheart." The cha-cha-cha beat on the latter completes Chocolate and Ice's serene smorgasbord, which is marred only by the requisite answering-machine track. - Boston Phoenix

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My Morning Jacket's new EP broods a cool nostalgia that makes the disc seem perfect for back-porch summer listening. Singer Jim James' velvety voice encourages the listener to let down their guard and allow the waves of acoustic guitars, cool beats and the synth-strings backdrop to wash away past hurts, leaving a clean palette and new outlook. Even though there are only six proper songs on this record, there are enough instrumental impromptus and other dabbling (there are two recorded phone messages from James' cousin that provide an interesting intermission) to create a 40-minute disc. "Sooner" showcases MMJ's mournful tone with drawling vocal harmonies over soft hand drums, acoustic twangs and a distant slide guitar. "Sweetheart" is a reverb-drenched piano melody that recounts the story of a chance meeting and the longing that ensues. My Morning Jacket provides the perfect salve for the melancholia of the soul. - Louis Miller: CMJ New Music Report Issue: 762 - May 13, 2002