#medium raw

Song Review: Early James - “Rag Doll”

Early James continues playing in the sonic past on “Rag Doll.”

The third single from Medium Raw follows “Steely Knives” and “Tinfoil Hat” and finds James toiling in mid-20th-century rockabilly. It’s a gritty, lo-fi track with music made for shimmying and shaking matched by James’ weathered, from-another-time vocal delivery.

I ain’t your rag doll, darlin’/no siree that ain’t me/got bones and blood though you may disagree/I hope you’re choking on your water/cause my thoughts ain’t made to order/no siree, James sings over a walking bassline on the chorus.

This is the kind of music folks who found James before his major-label emergence have been waiting for. Because although James is just 31, his musical soul is at least 100.

Medium Raw is due Jan. 10, 2025.

Grade card: Early James - “Rag Doll” - A

- Anthony Bourdain.