Jim James Performs "A New Life" With the Roots on 'Fallon'
My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James' debut solo album, Regions of Light and Sound of God, drops today. Finally. To celebrate, the hirsute rocker donned a suit and tie and hit Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Monday to perform the LP's tender and introspective acoustic tune "A New Life" with the Roots and a big band orchestra.
Watch above at the 36:00 minute mark--he struts as the tune rises from a quiet acoustic ditty to a heart-swelling mini-epic with a string section and marching-style band with big drums and horns.
James recently told Fuse about the gorgeous track: "It went through several different phases before I found what I wanted it to be," James tells Fuse. "It was acoustic and then I tried a more straight-ahead drum approach, and then I tried a dreamy trance approach, and they just all felt like they said too much of a thing.
"I started messing around with loops and different percussion and just really wanted the sound of the song to echo the celebration I was trying to convey with the words and music. It’s acoustic, but celebratory."
He adds, "I get like a Harry Belafonte tropical vibe out of it and that’s what I was going for."
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