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
Jones' signature, and
James puts a bunch of slow tunes on
Seems Like Tears Ago, 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
Seems Like Tears Ago from succumbing to pure nostalgia is how
James possesses a light touch. He's reverent, but he's not too precious about the music he loves, which means that
Seems Like Tears Ago evokes the past while still seeming fresh. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine