Seems Like Tears Ago in Bloomington, MN

If you don't listen too closely, you could mistake
Seems Like Tears Ago
-- the second album from country singer
Jason James
-- as a lost
Musicor
album from
George Jones
. It's not just that
James
uncannily mimics the high-lonesome sound of peak
Possum
, it's that he conjures the same stately blend of lean and lush country that
Jones
did during the 1960s. Ballads were
' signature, and
puts a bunch of slow tunes on
, but he doesn't neglect the swifter tunes that could fill a hardwood honky tonk floor. The self-explanatory "We're Gonna Honky Tonk Tonight," the Cajun-flavored "Cry on the Bayou," and the two-step "I Miss You After All" all hearken back to the heyday of hardcore country in the 1960s, right before the music incorporated the snap of Bakersfield twang, and they effectively complement the gorgeous ballads, which are all rendered with a loving touch. What prevents
from succumbing to pure nostalgia is how
possesses a light touch. He's reverent, but he's not too precious about the music he loves, which means that
evokes the past while still seeming fresh. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine