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Oct 30, 2017 Jim James By Christopher Roberts

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My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James has announced Tribute To 2, an album of covers that is the sequel to his 2009 George Harrison covers EP Tribute To (which is also being reissued). He has also shared his cover of The Beach Boys’ “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” (from their classic album Pet Sounds). Tribute To 2 is due out December 8 via ATO, as is the reissue of Tribute To. Listen to the “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” cover below, followed by the tracklist for Tribute To 2.

Tribute To was recorded to eight-track in the days following George Harrison’s death and featured covers of Harrison and Beatles songs. Tribute To 2 was recorded over a period of years in various different locations. It includes covers of songs by Sonny & Cher, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and more.

James had this to say about the album in a press release: “These are some of my favorite covers - songs I recorded trying to bring myself peace during a rough time or trying to make myself laugh or just have fun. I hope others can relate and enjoy the journey during these tough times and hopefully in times of peace and love as well!”

The “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” cover was inspired by another cover song, an 18+ minute version of Isaac Hayes’ take on Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” from Hayes’ 1969 album, Hot Buttered Soul. While listening to that track, James began singing the lyrics to “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times.”

As James explains in a press release: “It gave me the idea to unite the music of these two different worlds. I believe that if people really listened, they would love so much music outside of the genre they normally listen to - and that alone could start to unite people. I had just written liner notes for a re-release of Hot Buttered Soul and was lucky enough to get my hands on the multi-track recordings of the album. So, I ripped apart ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’ and put it back together again as ‘I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times.’”

James also had this to say about “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” in the press release: “‘I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times’ is a song that has spoken to me very deeply from the first time I heard it. So often, many of us just feel like we don’t fit in, like somehow we were dropped into the wrong life at the wrong time. This song has such a beautiful way of resonating with that energy and relating to the pain of life on earth, but also offering hope and comfort in the beautiful sounds of togetherness.”

The reissue of Tribute To includes a previously unreleased cover of Bob Dylan’s “If Not For You” recorded during the original sessions.

James released an excellent solo album, the politically-charged Eternally Even, last fall via ATO. It was one of Under the Radar‘s Top 100 Albums of 2016.

My Morning Jacket released their last album, The Waterfall, in 2015. Read our 2015 interview with Jim James about the album.

Tribute To 2 Tracklist:

1. I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times——by The Beach Boys
2. Baby Don’t Go——by Sonny & Cher
3. Wild Honey——by Diane Izzo
4. Midnight, the Stars and You——by Ray Noble & Al Bowlly
5. Crying in the Chapel——by The Orioles
6. Funny How Time Slips Away——by Willie Nelson
7. Love is the Sweetest Thing——by Ray Noble & Al Bowlly
8. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight ——by Bob Dylan
9. Lucky Man ——by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
10. The World is Falling Down——by Abbey Lincoln
11. Blue Skies——by Irving Berlin

Tribute To - Reissue Tracklist:

1. Long, Long, Long——by George Harrison
2. Behind That Locked Door——by George Harrison
3. Love You To——by George Harrison
4. My Sweet Lord——by George Harrison
5. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)——by George Harrison
6. All Things Must Pass——by George Harrison
7. If Not For You [Bonus Track]——by Bob Dylan

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