 4. James Taylor, New Moon
Shine (1991)
I've been a James Taylor fan my entire life, it
seems. One of my earliest musical memories is his version of Carole King's
"You've Got a Friend," and I remember Sweet Baby James (1970) and Mud
Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971) in my father's record collection when I was a
child. Today, thirty years after the release of his first album (James Taylor,
1969), he's still one of my favorites.
New Moon Shine covers a wide range of
territory stylistically, from traditional folk ("The Water is Wide") to a
rocking exploration of the rhetoric surrounding the Gulf War ("Slap Leather").
We also get songs about original characters ("Like Everyone She Knows,"
"The Frozen Man"), hope for the future ("Shed a Little Light,"
"Oh Brother") and a cover of Sam Cooke's "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha
Cha." Yes, it sounds like a James Taylor record. And yes, that's one of
its biggest strengths. Just a really great album from one of the best song craftsmen
of our time. |
