Dissapointing - 
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Evil Urges Review
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MMJ tries to create a innovative synthesis of musical styles and instead winds up with a mess of a record. "Highly Suspicious" is just flat out embarrassing and cringe-inducing. There are a couple decent tracks here but in general the song writing has taken a big step in the wrong direction. I'd happily give back the decent songs if they could make the truly awful ones go away as well.
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what have they done? - 
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Evil Urges Review
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Love it love it love it. Saw them live @ rainy Bonnaroo 08' and went right out and purchased this record ... for me it's probably my favorite album in the last dozen years, and evokes comparison to Radiohead's epic OK Computer. (for me) Here's my buddy's email response after he went out and got it on my recommendation: "I liked it! The songs are a refreshing blend of everything from country to southern rock to 70's singer/songwriter to heavy pop and just about everything in between. The older analog effects work nicely with their overall sound. Everything from octavers to analog slapback reverbs and delays. Highly Suspicious sounded like something that would come of Prince singing and playing guitar while Devo and Oingo Boingo backed him up! Trippy. The drums left me wanting a bit, but the recording on them is lush and sweet. Kinda like how Lenny records his drums. The songwriter (if it's one guy) is definitely a product of the singer/songwriter genre of the 70s. I'd love to hear Springsteen do Aluminum Park! Was surprised by the diversity of the styles contained within. You wouldn't think you'd hear a track like Evil Urges and Sec Walkin on the same CD."
I smell a Grammy nomination. Love it love it love it.
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I Love This Record -
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Evil Urges Review
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I believe "Evil Urges" is the best MMJ record yet and highly recommend it. I purchased "Z" last year based on one song and really enjoyed the entire album. I also have "It Still Moves" and "The Tennessee Fire". It seems to me that every MMJ record has been an improvement on the previous record, and that is quite an accomplishment.
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You're missing the point -
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Evil Urges Review
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I think this is a brilliant album and all the negative reviews are coming from early die-hard fans who don't want the band's sound to change. The truth is things do change and in this case from good to excellent. I have to say this is one of my favorite albums of 2008 and key words here are fun and risk-taking. Don't let the negative reviews turn you away from this, but also don't expect that early MMJ sound... these boys have grown up...
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MMJ refuse to stay in the box - 
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Evil Urges Review
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It's clear after listening to MMJ's latest studio album, Evil Urges, that Jim James has no intentions of letting his band be painted into a corner. The band could have very easily have accepted their place as a southern jam band with a killer live show and made a very comfortable and profitable living. But Jim James and company are all about pushing their music forward and exploring new territory. That was clear on 2005's "Z" which still defies easy categorization. Things aren't quite as spacey and weird on Evil Urges, but the band has made it clear that they aren't going to revert to jam band territory.
While this album isn't as genre defying as "Z", it still boasts excellent songwriting and top notch musicianship, which we've come to expect by now. The biggest change on this album is that James' vocals are clearer than on past records. He no longer sounds like he's singing from the bottom of a well. Musically, the biggest surprise is a detour into funk on the song, "Highly Suspicious" where James tries out his best Prince falsetto. The very idea of that combined with the repeated lyric, "Peanut butter pudding surprise" should make the song a disaster. But it truly rocks. So does every other track. "I'm Amazed" is one of the best songs of the year and several others are in the running ("Librarian", "Evil Urges", "Two Halves").
This album may not be as innovative and groundbreaking as Z, but it is a better album over all. The songwriting is more consistently excellent and the band are clearly working at the peak of their powers. It's hard to imagine another rock album topping this one in 2008. Evil Urges is one of the very best albums of 2008. Let's hope that Jim James continues to push his group beyond their jam band roots. The future is theirs.
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