My Morning Jacket

For Jim James, the lumberjack-bearded singer and guitarist for My Morning Jacket, everything sounds better coated in a thick layer of reverb. The familiar echo of his resonating vocals wraps around the listener, creating an ethereal warmth like Southern Comfort to the soul. It goes down even smoother live, for the Louisville-based quintet is known for its stunning performances. During their latest stop at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the band outlasted even the tie-dyed jam bands, rocking a three-and-a-half-hour set which started at midnight and included covers of the Rolling Stones' "Loving Cup," the Who's "A Quick One While He's Away," and the Band's "It Makes No Difference." Even when portraying Ruckus, a fictitious band in Cameron Crowe's 2005 film Elizabethtown, My Morning Jacket still tore the roof off, nailing the finest cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" ever put to tape. Need further proof? Check out Okonokos, MMJ's recently released double live album which opens with finer points from last year's brilliant Z and meticulously winds its way through A Tennessee Fireand At Dawn. It's a testament to both the band's genre-defying discography and invigorating concert atmosphere.