Like a bluesman from the misty paths of the Mississippi Delta by way of the smoky clubs of Chicago’s South Side, Early James arrives fully formed and reaching his potential on Medium Raw. 

James’ third long player for producer Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound finds the much-older-than-his-31-years – “Livin’ is a young man’s game,” he sings credibly on “I Could Just Die Right Now” – guitarist, singer and songwriter eschewing the half-hearted commerciality that peppered 2020’s Singing for My Supper and 2022’s Strange Time to be Alive and instead tapping into the rough-hewn sound of the 2018 EP Early James & the Latest. 

To underscore the point, James recast as electric and extended to nearly seven minutes in the EP’s “Dig to China,” placing the dark swirl of blue as the 10th of Raw’s 12 tracks. He plays grittily and howls raspily over foreboding bass and menacing drums:

“Just lie to me/lie to me, now/lie, lie, lie,” he sings in a voice that sounds like it’s lived three lives rather than three decades. 

James balances the darkness inherent in his music and words with sardonic humor, proclaiming, “You can’t have culture without the cult” on “Nothing Surprises Me Anymore” before musing: 

“I guess God’s a twisted skywriter/chemtrails in Comic Sans.” 

In that vein, it turns out Medium Raw is perfectly done.