Waterfall II

Between the arc of the lyrical content and the band’s signature sound, The Waterfall II holds together nicely, and doesn’t feel at all like a B-sides collection or tracks that have been moldering on a shelf somewhere. Instead, there’s an almost novelistic structure supported by absolutely electric moments scattered throughout the 10 songs.

An incredible album. [Sep 2020, p.111]

The Waterfall II comes fitted with escape hatches and launch pads. ... Those in search for a 2020 anthem, meanwhile, could do worse than the gorgeous calendar-collapse of Spinning My Wheels. [Sep 2020, p.86]

If this sounds musically dour, it’s not. My Morning Jacket is just too solid of a unit to get dragged under musically by James’ brooding musings. He never loses his strong melodic sense and is always ready to bring a retro-styled 70s soul vibe to the table.

[“Spinning My Wheels”], and the album as a whole, fit these odd times and the excellent song kicks off an album which slots in well with the band’s varied past offerings as Waterfalls II drifts into and out of psych, folk, late-night disco and jam band spiked arena rock.

The best moments here are the most direct, the least demonstrative.

With the exception of “Wasted,” with its hard-rock guitar and raging solo, there’s a gentleness and a sweetness to The Waterfall II that is easy to get lost in.

In case the meditative ruminations were missed elsewhere on The Waterfall II, the closer reaffirms the band's emotional shift in spite of the struggle.

While the album still has the overall feel of being in a flotation tank while listening to Gerry Rafferty, James experiments beyond his tendency to jaw off occasionally into psych jazz interludes, tackling dark future fink on Magic Bullet and Godspell gospel blues on Wasted. [Sep 2020, p.89]

A sweetly sprawling album. [Sep 2020, p.32]

Much of this material would be hard pressed to directly sweep anything off The Waterfall in its wake, but the The Waterfall II is enjoyable closure to those who will soon turn to anticipate the next new album My Morning Jacket have on deck.

The Waterfall lived up to its lofty ambitions, as the band navigated an enchanting patchwork of enchanting orchestral folk and winding prog rock. And that's just scratching the surface—by comparison, The Waterfall II is a little looser and rough around the edges. It's also a more overt attempt at sending a loving homage to their favorite pop songwriter.