Hey Ma was a return-to-form for the band as they continued their signature sound of loud guitars and big choruses, with occasional trumpet appearances.

[1] By the end of the year, vocalist Tim Booth left the band, who would break-up thereafter amidst drug abuse and tension between members.

[6] In addition to this, Glennie continued to jam with former guitarist Larry Gott, who had left the band in 1995, but had joined them for their farewell concert.

[8] In 2004, the pair made a demo tape and contacted Booth, who had no interest in joining them, having finished a solo album, had a child and moved residence.

After this, multi-instrumentalist Saul Davies, keyboardist Mark Hunter, drummer David Baynton-Power and Diagram re-joined the trio.

[15] In September 2007, James travelled to France with Lee Muddy Baker, who had previously worked with Booth, co-producing Bone.

[19] Sessions continued into December 2007; after returning to the UK, "Whiteboy" was recorded at Hotspur Press in Manchester, "72" at The Premises in Hoxton, and "I Wanna Go Home" at Scream in Brighton.

[19] Hey Ma continued James' signature indie rock sound of loud guitar work, big chorus sections, and occasional appearances of brass instruments, though they reduced the amount of keyboard parts.

[22][23] Adrian Cepeda of Treble noted similarities to You Cross My Path by the Charlatans, Ringleader of the Tormentors by Morrissey and Weightlifting (2004) by the Trash Can Sinatras.

[25] "Bubbles" detailed the birth of Booth's second son;[26] Cepeda wrote that by its end, the group "explodes in horns, guitars and drums announcing the glorious return of these Manchester greats".

[24] Booth said "Hey Ma" was the UK and United States governments' "foolish response" to the September 11 attacks, and the invasion of Iraq.

[38] Glennie said it reflected a number of anti-war tracks on the album, and was a critical statement of the "gun culture in Britain and America".

[20][36] In June, they played a one-off gig in Los Angeles, and appeared on the main stage at the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival.

[43][45] Select record stores in the US were giving away a free promotional 7" vinyl of "Waterfall", backed with a live version of "Laid" as the B-side.

[48] PopMatters writer Michael Keefe said the band's break "seems to have served them well", as it "bursts with hunger and enthusiasm",[51] which Cepeda also noted.

[53] Entertainment Weekly writer Mikael Wood found that none of the tracks on the record "reproduces the dizzy rush" of the band's biggest song "Laid", however, "several cuts get surprisingly close".

[18] musicOMH editor Ben Hogwood said that it was " clear this isn't a return with an eye on the cash till … they have fire in their belly and music to stoke it with, and it shows in the depth of emotion unleashed by this album".

[31] Pitchfork writer Joshua Klein said the band attempted to tackle their "crowd-pleasing roots and their subsequent experiments" at once with a "renewed sense of mirthfulness that cuts through much of the pretension".

[28] Jeff Miers of The Buffalo News said the band "manages to conjure soundscapes that are quietly magnificent, grandiose anthems that seduce the listener slowly".

[56] The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan said the album featured the band "in the rudest possible health", with Booth delivering his lyrics "with such quivering passion that it's hard not to be impressed".

[52] The Times writer Dan Cairns was critical of the "11 sanctimonious, declamatory, defiantly average and band-huggingly smug tracks featured here".Before adding, "if this lot represent the best, what on God's earth were the other 109 like?