This tenth studio album from James has been a long time coming. Not that anybody was waiting, particularly. After more than two decades swinging in and out of vogue, rumour had it that singer Tim Booth had definitively quit the band after 2001’s well-received Pleased To Meet You. Thankfully, he’s changed his mind.
Produced by Lee “Muddy” Baker (who produced Booth’s 2004 solo album Bone), Hey Ma was recorded in Warsy Chateau in northern France. According to the extensive liner notes, the band built their own mini-studios in their rooms, allowing all seven members to jam at leisure, feeding the results back to Baker in the main studio. James have always been an improvisational band anyway, but this time the results were spectacular. The final 11 tracks were chosen from a grand total of 120.
They haven’t radically changed their sound – trademark jangling guitars, brass flourishes and impassioned vocals are all still present and correct. No harm. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
The title-track is a blistering comment on the illegal invasion of Iraq: “Now the towers have fallen/ So much dust in the air/ It affected your vision/ Couldn’t see yourself clear.” Its chorus of “Hey ma, the boys in body bags/ Coming home in pieces” is all the more shocking for the jaunty uplifting way it’s delivered.
There’s a more personal tone to other songs. Opening track ‘Bubbles’ is about the birth of Booth’s son. ‘Whiteboy’ is obviously autobiographical. ‘Waterfall’ recalls a skinnydipping session at Snoqualmie Falls (the Seattle beauty spot featured in Twin Peaks) during the singer’s time working with composer Angelo Badalmenti.
Elsewhere, ‘I Wanna Go Home’ is about a remorseful man failing to drown his sorrows in a bar, while the instantly catchy ‘Oh My Heart’ urges listeners to live each moment like it’s their last.
All told, a triumphant and welcome return.

Key track: ‘Oh My Heart’