Jacketless Jim James

My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James has proven to be a prolific artist, often with his hands in several projects at once. This week he shared a new solo single, “Take Care Of You,” which appears on the soundtrack to the feature film, No Escape. Below is a Spotify Playlist – Jacketless Jim James – featuring 20 tracks of James contributing to recordings without his MMJ mates.

Sometimes recording under the pseudonym Yim Yames, the Louisville musician has lent his talents to a number of collective projects including The New Basement Tapes which includes Rhiannon Giddens, Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford and Taylor Goldsmith crafting songs from Bob Dylan’s lyrics; New Multitudes with Will Johnson, Jay Farrar and Anders Parker composing songs from Woody Guthrie’s lyrics and Monsters Of Folk which he formed with M. Ward, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis who make two appearances on the playlist including a cut with The Roots. James teamed with Calexico to cover Dylan’s “Goin’ to Acapulco” for the film I’m Not There which he also made a cameo appearance in. Other covers include Townes Van Zandt’s “Waiting Around To Die” with Quiet Life, a solo acoustic take on George Harrison’s “Behind That Locked Door” and Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low.”

As a guest in the studio James has helped out a diverse roster including Neko Case, Nicole Atkins, Camera Obscura, The Flaming Lips, Amy Ray and Booker T. Jones, who are all featured in the collection. A live track with Preservation Hall Jazz Band from Carnegie Hall is featured. There are also cuts from James’s solo work and production efforts including a track by Galaxie 500’sDean Wareham and a remix of alt-J’s “Fitzpleasure.” The 20 songs come in at one hour and 30 minutes for your listening pleasure.