Customer Reviews

Covers [VINYL]

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

James Taylor has reached that point - that very few of his contemporaries have reached - where he can do whatever he pleases. His ardent core of fans from the days when he didn't need to cover his pate with a beret will buy his music, applaud, and get misty eyed when he breaks into Sweet Baby James or Carolina In My Mind. What's remarkable is his production of recent discs like Hourglass and especially October Sky, which contain timeless music of a very high quality.

Covers contains songs of very high quality as well. Songs that have held there own for decades. Some that are newer. Now we have the chance to hear them sung by a voice that is one of the greatest in American popular music. A voice that has aged as gracefully as the patina on a fine burnished piece of silver. James Taylor, having survived the fire and rain of his life, has truly become an American Classic in the best sense.

Putting on this disc - for those of us who still purchase discs, those digital relics that replaced our previous vinyl relics - is like going to visit an old friend, going into his barn, drinking a couple of beers, picking up the old instruments and playing some of those old songs you both loved so well. It's a casual affair - some great music played by a group of friends who have played long enough to anticipate every change, every nuance, every "Taylor-ian" harmony or cello break to make it sound just right. There's just the slightest sense of knowing exactly where these songs are going; where the breaks are going to be, when the verse is going to return, when it's going to end. And that's a good thing.

Most of the songs fit Taylor like a glove. He chose well. It's Growing, Seminole Wind, and of course - On Broadway (a song that Taylor was born to sing) are all wonderful. Still, there are some idiosynchracies and misfires. Wichita Lineman is lovely, although Taylor sings the eponymous line as "Wichita Line-Man". Perhaps it's correct, but it's a little jarring. Suzanne seems uncomfortable, like the song was never fully in his fingers - he sings the lyric somewhat self-consciously, as if he's reading it. The arrangement itself seems half-baked; guitar and cello never really mesh - despite the fact that the latter is played by no less a cellist (and friend) than Yo Yo Ma.

Hound Dog is, uh, cute. Taylor is in his muttering, muted, end of Steamroller mode here. Sadie is lovely, Summertime Blues a great surprise. It works! It rocks in a very James Taylor way that will get all of us 50 somethings up on our feet, swiveling our hips while sitting in the expensive pavilion seats at Tanglewood. It's great - really. Not Fade Away is a lovely disc closer. Not Fade Away indeed.

So why only 4 stars? Well, some if it is purely subjective. Much as I love Taylor covers, I like his recent more mature material much more. Some of it is aesthetic - I miss the punch of Peter Asher's production. The disc sounds great, but not as great as some of Taylor's classic discs. Third - and more seriously - I'm miffed that Taylor recorded an "album"s worth of material on a CD. Twelve songs that clock in to a total playing time of about 42 minutes is a brief musical interlude indeed. The disc as a whole could have benefitted from more heft - both in the number of songs, as well as a bit of balance by drawing on some of the songs in the Great American Songbook of the 1930s and 1940. James Taylor is one popular artist who could do these songs justice. Don't even talk to me about Rod Stewart.

So overall - a very enjoyable, albeit short, disc, with a flimsy cardboard case containing containing great songs sung in That Voice. Think of it like a short visit from an old college friend, checking in to see how life is going. You're both pleased to see you're still in good shape, you can still connect through all the years, and still recognizable as the people you once were, and have yet to become.

And like that brief visit, this disc leaves you wanting more.

I'm a late bloomer in James Taylor fandom but have heard nearly all his albums to date. Don't understand those who give this album a bad review. These are wonderful arrangements of songs that are fun, deep, worth revisiting. JT has covered tons of songs through his career - You've Got a Friend, Handy Man, Up on the Roof, How Sweet It Is, Walking My Baby Back Home, Day Tripper (a mistake), September Grass - and he does most of these a great service here. I'm not crazy about "On Broadway" like others - it just seems a little blah. But who can deny It's Growing, Why Baby Why, Wichita Lineman, and the fun stuff like Road Runner, Some Days You Gotta Dance, and Summertime Blues? My biggest concern is that Hear will release an expanded edition later with the extra tracks that were peddled on QVC last month. This 42-minute collection is fine, fine, fine, but I wouldn't argue with another 15 minutes of music.

I've been a James Taylor fan forever and own everything he's ever recorded in both audio and video. I've attended several of his live stage band concerts as well as his more recent One Man Band tour. After all this time, I continue to be amazed at how James manages to repeatedly deliver fresh treatments and appealing arrangements of songs his fans recognize and have loved for years. The Cover album is no exception. It is an eclectic collection that bridges numerous styles, with each piece performed impeccably by James and his fantastic team of musicians. I am so happy with this latest offering, and I predict that it will be wildly popular with James Taylor fans everywhere.

The downside to this album is that there are way too many throwaway tunes. It might be fun to listen to JT sing "Hound Dog" as an unexpected surprise in a live concert, but it just doesn't hold up to repeated listenings. Most of the album falls into this category, unfortunately.

There are a few exceptions: Witchita Lineman is great, I really enjoyed his take on Suzanne and the surprise cover of the old Spinners tune, Sadie, is really nice. I'd recommend downloading these songs and skipping the rest of the album.

The one thing of real note is that JT's voice is ageless. So many of his contemporaries' voices are really showing signs of aging -- darkening with time and having a tougher time reaching the high notes.
Honestly, this album sounds like he could have recorded it in the early 80's. His voice sounds as it did way back then. Vocally, he sounds great.

All can be counted on, but only one is welcome. Actually, I didn't know just how much I needed a fix of new JT until the initial notes of the first track took me out of my stressful life and transported me to a calmer, simpler, better place. (And if that sounds like hyperbole, then perhaps you're not a true fan. Or maybe you need to buy this album, like, yesterday.) I'm not sure that "Covers" as a title does justice to what Taylor does here; these are more than mere rerecordings. Songs like "It's Growing" and "Wichita Lineman" are reimagined to the degree that they sound like Taylor originals, and I mean that as a supreme compliment. My one reservation, and it's not insignificant, is the album's brevity. A little over 40 minutes? C'mon James, there's a whole world of songs out there we're dying to hear you sing! If there's a "Covers 2," please don't be this stingy.

James Taylor has a proven track record with cover songs. Several JT classics come immediately to mind, including "Up on the Roof" and "Handy Man" to name just two (of many). In the liner notes, he says "this is not uncharted water for me." Nothing on his new all-covers CD quite reaches the level of his best previous hits with other people's songs, but the album still has a consistent degree of high quality music, played by a topnotch band, and sung with gusto by Taylor. You can tell the gang had fun making this music; in the little Amazon video that accompanies the product listing, JT talks about how the songs were essentially recorded "live in the studio." It shows in the spontaneity of these performances. The tunes sound free and unforced, while still displaying a lot of seriously good playing. The CD ends up sounding like you were invited to a terrific party with the universe's best cover band. Among my favorites are "Some Days You Gotta Dance," a song I was previously unfamiliar with, "Why Baby Why" (could he do an all-Country CD? please?) and the sweet "Sadie." Of the few down-tempo moments, the version of Jimmy Webb's perfect "Wichita Lineman" shines. (That's as great an example of the songwriting art as there ever was.) All in all, it was a pleasure to hear. James Taylor fans will definitely dig this one.

Last summer I was lucky enough to catch Mr. Taylor's opening show for the concert tour that featured these tunes. Now I've been to James Taylor concerts since the Mud Slide Slim days but nothing brought the house down like he did last July. Imagine hearing a Jimmy Webb song mixed in with Coppeline. Then he does the classic version of Hounddog right after Shower The People! I have been waiting for this release since he said it was coming at the show and it's been worth it. You could tell Mr. Taylor really enjoyed singing these songs. I just wish "Knock on Wood" could have made the cut. Hearing James and Arnold singing together had everyone on thier feet and feeling young again. Summertime Blues? Not that night....

James Tayolor reminds me of the Wichita Lineman. He still delivers no matter what the changes in pop recordings or rock seem to dictate at the time. He performances are ageless. He has that distinctive quality, voice and sound that transcends all the musical vocal genres. He is a constant in a changing and dynamic world and times of uncertainty. I enjoy this album very much. This album full of popular ballads is fresh but at the same time is distinctive Taylor. There is no spin here, it is just Taylor. I like it very much.

I always wait for the new JT album(CD) to come out. This time it would be different,my brother (the doctor) informed me it was to be a "covers"
album. I said "Oh,brother ,what has James done". Just in a nut shell,
this man is so crafted and unique,he can sing "Happy Birthday" and make is sound great! My favorite song was Sophie,a strange intro ,but very nice. The rest of this constructed masterpiece is very well put together.
I have a lot of these "cover songs" Cd's, but this is not a ordinary man,
he shapes and creates the songs to his style and his alone. I was somewhat
reluctant in buying this,but the first song I was gently assured that this was a good "covers" cd. Now dont think that James has run out of tunes,trust he has not. But in this new recording, he kinda breaks that mold of the past two cd's "October Road" and the one before that(before his mega best of series OMG!),where the changes and chord structures
were very predicable. Now One Man Band,is a milestone,not a "bestof"
CD. You have to read and look more into that. Getting back to this CD,
buy it,enjoy,appreciate only the best musicians that play with James.
Even though these people are great musicians, Tayor has come roundabout with past musicians, Leeland Sklar, Danny Kotchmar, and Russell Kunkel. Thank you James for a refreshing type of interpretations
of master hits.
to name a few.

James Taylor has the ability to make these classic songs sound new and fresh. This is a fun disc of tunes. My favorite track is the heartfelt "Wichita Lineman". The musical arrangements on this song are beautiful with the piano and fiddle. "On Broadway" is a smooth relaxing track. "Summertime Blues" and "Not Fade Away" are two additional highlights here. They are upbeat songs that make me want to dance. "It's Growing" is a song that makes me feel good. The back up singers sound groovy here. "Why Baby Why" is a song performed in a country style. I never heard of the sweet song "Sadie" or the bluesy "Hound Dog". I consider these two songs I didn't know to be pleasant surprises. This is an excellent new disc from James Taylor. I can listen to this disc any time.