Walking Man/Rock & Roll Is Music Now/Let It All Fall Down/Me & My Guitar/Daddy's Baby/Ain't No Song/Hello Old Friend/Migration/The Promised Land/Fading Away
Singer songwriter James Taylor remained popular in the States throughout the 1970s despite his best work being contained in his first two Warner albums. Walking Man is typical of the bland and forgettable nature of his later releases. (US:13)
“Pretty much what you would expect - mellow, easy going, singer songwriter stuff with super slick playing and production. Some of the songs individually are really good, but others show a really bad lapse in taste, the Berry cover and Rock & Roll Is Music Now in particular. Played in sequence it just all blurs together pleasantly, but I can't help but feel the better songs deserved something more here.”
“Plenty of pleasing stuff, especially if you appreciate subtle harmonic and melodic touches, of which there are many, even if this record doesn't represent the very best the artist has to offer in this regard.”
“One thing that seems to have changed is the ‘one man and his guitar’ format having given way to heavier orchestration and use of a horn section. This was never one of James Taylor's most popular albums and doesn't have any well known tunes and hits some of his albums possess.”
“While this album did not receive great critical acclaim, it is one of my favourite JT albums. The music is so soothing, it takes me to where I am most comfortable.”
“It has some of Taylor's best ballads, which have an interesting, understated melodic quality, they're not-quite-pop pop songs. Things slide a little bit at the end but on the whole this LP still possesses the peculiar Taylor charm and intimacy that few other artists can touch, even at their best.”
“One can also tell that this album is quite personal based on the poignant and direct lyrics.. It also displays Taylor's quintessential compositional form; he uses lots of overlaying textures with a wide variety of tasteful light rock. There's a strong jazzy feeling throughout the album and sometimes, the jazz takes risky, surprising and beautiful turns.”
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