Cosmic rockers My Morning Jacket aren’t the force of old but, as this album of cover versions shows, their frontman’s voice remains a potent instrument. From the Beach Boys’ I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times to Elvis Presley’s Crying in the Chapel, these are songs brimming with anguish and regret, qualities that lend themselves to James’s supple tones. Occasionally, particularly on the standards, he tries too hard to make the track his own, adding unnecessary howls and flourishes. For the most part, though, these spare reworkings are dramatic and wonderfully arranged. The highlight is Abbey Lincoln’s The World Is Falling Down, a bewitching snapshot of society in meltdown.
