James Taylor – JAMES TAYLOR***

Don’t Talk Now/Something’s Wrong/Knocking Round The Zoo/Sunshine Sunshine/Taking It On/Something In The Way She Moves/Carolina In My Mind/Brighten Your Night With My Day/Night Owl/Rainy Day Man/Circle Round The Sun/Blues Is Just A Bad Dream

The eponymous debut album from the American singer songwriter James Taylor. He was discovered by Apple Records during his time in London, and would really hit his stride with the following two LPs. (US:62)

“This hybrid album is the result of Taylor's time in London during 1968 where, for some reason, his producer chose to frame these songs within an ensemble playing 19th century European chamber music. So, along with Taylor's guitar and a rhythm section, we have brass and wind instruments, a string quartet, harps and harpsichords, which date the album as a period piece with mixed results.”

“James Taylor is an album that really grows on you in time. After the first few listens I was slightly under-whelmed but eventually the songs start to wheedle their way into your soul and the album as a whole becomes a pleasurable listening experience.”

“Vocally, a younger JT doesn't sound all that different from the guy who is liked by both your parents and your kids. It's nice to listen to something that sounds both familiar (JT's phrasing) and somewhat unfamiliar (you won't know any of these songs other than Carolina In My Mind). Tired of the stuff that I've heard too much of, I'm glad to have discovered a JT record that I still play relatively often.”

“The music of the sixties came at you with an energetic freshness and unpredictability that stirred an entire generation and culture. It's still very pleasing, listening to these time capsules, many of which are period pieces in comparison to the everyday ordinary stuff put out today. James Taylor's self-titled debut on Apple Records has that type of allure and charm where it pulls you into its simplicity, clasped by the gentleness of its eloquently crafted embrace for truth.”

“This album was way over-produced. There's almost a sense that Asher and company were trying to 'Apple-fy' Taylor with a myriad of Beatle-esque touches; there's harps and harpsichords, strings, choir-type chirpy back-up vocals, etc. There's so much ornate production that, at times, you get the sense that James is fighting to keep his head above it all.”