Thursdays review

January 29, 8:25 PMPhiladelphia Music ExaminerDaniel Horne

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Score: ****1/2

Another Thursday has arrived, so I will discuss and review another album of my choosing. It is to be noted that these reviews are garnered from my own mind and reflect no parts of any other reviews that the viewing audience may have seen either before or after reading my opinion.

last week I covered and reviewed Morning View by Incubus which I believe is their best work, so today I have decided to topple another best work from a different artist entirely. Evil Urges by My morning jacket is the CD I am referring to, the can't miss album from the guys from Louisville, Kentucky. Urges is the fifth studio album recorded by Jim James and his partners in the band.

After the wide success of 2005's Z which found its way into the billboard charts topping out at number 67, the guys headed back into the studio after touring the globe to begin work on some new sings. When all was said and done and the summer of 2008 arrived, the boys had released Urges to critical acclaim and the acclimates to not stop there, the success of the CD has landed the band a Grammy nomination for best Alternative Rock album.

Now lets get to the album itself. First off lead singer Jim James has to be declared one of the best lead men around today. His vocal range is incredible and it goes hand in hand with the sometimes whinny guitar work of Carl Broemel which is fantastic on this album by the way. Every track on the album is a can't miss but here are a few of the very best in my opinion.

Without a doubt track number two, highly suspicious which by the way reminds me of how a song may sound if there was a duet between the cookie monster and prince. During the song James and the backing vocals scream out about being highly suspicious and at times the lyrics"peanut butter pudding surprise" echo out. The uniqueness and downright insanity that is Highly Suspicious helps make this album a thrill of a ride.

Thank you too is also a great track, there isn't much going on in this track except James' giving thanks to an unidentifiable person. The track is simple and thats a good thing coming only a few songs after the monstrous Highly suspicious. The backing vocals in this track are great and the synchronicity is close to perfection, making thank you too a can't miss track.

If I had to choose the best track from the album, hands down it would have to be Liberian. A very dark and moody melody about facing the problems of life such as self image and weight issues. James sings about how good looking people are but the problem arises when people get too into who they are or who people tell them they should be. The famed Karen Carpenter is even mentioned during the track as she eventually died due to complications of anorexia. A very simple tune with James pouring his soul into a very heartfelt song about life.

Evil Urges without a doubt is my pick to get the Grammy but the award usually isn't handed out to the most deserving person/group, so it will be interesting to see if they can pull it out. Do yourself a favor and get this CD if you already don't have it, it's one of the very best of 2008.

See you guys back here Saturday.