18. Eternally Even / Jim James

Eternally Even reflects the tension of a strange political year.  "Same Old Lie" is a call for personal autonomy and action, attacking the premise that we have to accept what the Man gives us, as the track taps into an underlying unease about the status of our national heart.  Jim James, the fearless, pancho-wearing, guitar-wielding leader of My Morning Jacket wants us to lean in and get with the program, embracing love and resisting anything that would set us back, politically or personally.

But the languid grooves are the real story on James' second solo album, a chance for him to lay down his axe and explore his affinity for cosmic soul R&B supported by electric piano, organ drones, and drum beats, with only the occasional guitar flourish to tease out the funk.  Eternally Even is a chilled-out foil to MMJ's wide-open stadium rock and the record's cavernous but intimate production allows James' voice to find its soulful fire, urging listeners to make the most of their lives because time is running short.

"Here in Spirit" is a righteous jam that ranks with James' best work.  It is the record's thesis statement: "If you don't speak out / we can't hear it / Our love is always here / Here in spirit / And all those who came before / Here in spirit."  We are beings of light, James believes, and if we do not open up and share the shine, we will never fill the universe with the same love that created the stars.