Fans of It Still Moves - those of you who have been keeping up with Drive By Truckers' lineup changes and file Skynard alongside the Beatles - should skip directly to track four, which in many cases is as good a place to start as any and is in fact the best track on the disc. If you picked up the MMJ string with Z then the opening title track will likely please in its abrupt but not illogical movement from Radiohead to the Allman Brothers by way of Prince, to each of whom MMJ owes no small debt.
On more than a few tunes the expert and increasingly ubiquitous Jim James trades his beautifully strained tenor for a newly honed falsetto, presumably seeking to balance soulful and corny while reassuring us all that "it ain't evil baby, if ya ain't hurting anybody." Flaming Lips via Louisville, KY.
The band seems to have taken its moment on a larger pop stage to retract and reflect, telling smaller, stickier stories with odd and nostalgic flourishes rather than turning it up to 11. An unexpected, thoughtful, and rewarding if not always dazzling effort from a band unafraid.
