Early James / Strange Time To Be Alive
Album: Strange Time To Be Alive   Collection:General
Artist:Early James   Added:Jan 2024
Label:'a' Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2024-01-21 Pull Date: 2024-03-24
Week Ending: Mar 17 Mar 3 Feb 25 Feb 18 Feb 11 Feb 4 Jan 28
Airplays: 1 2 1 1 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Sep 28, 2024: Music Casserole
Dance in the Fire
4. Apr 13, 2024: Music Casserole
Real Low Down Lonesome (Feat Sierra Ferrell)
2. May 14, 2024: Traditions
Real Low Down Lonesome (Feat Sierra Ferrell)
5. Mar 30, 2024: Music Casserole
Pigsty
3. Apr 20, 2024: Music Casserole
Wasted and Wanting
6. Mar 14, 2024: Alex Strong with Max Lamparth
What a Strange Time to Be Alive

Album Review
Be Sharp
Reviewed 2024-01-06
ROUGH HEWN FOLK-BLUES

Birmingham (AL)-based singer-songwriter Fredrick James Mullis Jr., performs as Early James. Both his debut full length album, Singing for My Supper (2020) and this sophomore effort were produced by Dan Auerbach. Mullis wrote or co-wrote all the songs. I enjoyed the gritty, unpolished vocals, good acoustic & electric guitar, and quirky, enigmatic lyrics (in the booklet). RIYL Dr. John, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen

FCC clean
1 ** Slow. Tech is leading us to a bad ending. Takes shots at Rogen & Musk (4:24)
2 Slow. About people having their fates bound together, told in many metaphors (3:50)
3 * Slow. In the long folk tradition of lover’s murder ballads. Gothic and dark (3:35)
4 ** Slow. Sounds like a pretty love song w/ piano accompaniment; but lists the many reasons these two shouldn’t be together. I can imagine Tom Waits singing this one (4:11)
5 * Slow. Another side-eye at the contemporary world, but not as clever as #1 (3:06)
6 *** Mid-slow tango. A smokey duet with Sierra Ferrell is a real gem (4:29)
7 Mid-slow blues rock. Time is softening old resentments (4:06)
8 Mid-tempo. Reflections of a ne’er-do-well on the road (3:08)
9 Slow. A laid back seedy sort of lovesong (3:05)
10 * Mid-tempo. Country-blues ballad with just acoustic guitar & voice (3:51)
11 * Slow. Wistful reflections on getting older. Some of his best singing is here (3:21)
12 Slow. Narrator is a loser with unrealistic expectations (3:12)

Track Listing
1. Racing to a Red Light   7. Harder to Blame
2. Straightjacket for Two   8. If Heaven Is a Hotel
3. My Sweet Camelia   9. Splenda Daddy
4. Pigsty   10. Dance in the Fire
5. What a Strange Time to Be Alive   11. Wasted and Wanting
6. Real Low Down Lonesome (Feat Sierra Ferrell)   12. Something for Nothing