Early James – Medium Raw (Easy Eye/Concord) 13th Floor [Video]

Early James takes over Buddy’s Honky Chateau and teams up with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach to serve up 12 new tracks that are Medium Raw.

Early James is Fredrick James Mullis Jr. a Troy, Alabama native who was discovered by Dan Auerbach a few years ago and signed to his Easy Eye label.

Medium Raw is the third collaboration between James and Auerbach and it is to Dan’s credit in sticking with Early despite not really tearing up the charts with the previous two records.

Like The Black Keys, Early James’ sound is based in the blues, but from a slightly different angle. Inspired by the likes of Fred McDowell and Lightnin’ Hopkins, James and Auerbach decided to convert a 100+ year old house into a studio and so Buddy’s Honky Chateau was built in Nashville.

“It’s a house with a lot of character,” Auerbach says. “I’ve always loved it. I always felt inspired when I was there. I knew it …