James Taylor

The first LP to be issued on the Beatles' Apple label, Taylor's 1968 debut was a hugely promising, swaggering blend of neo-folk, blues and soul. The opener, "Don't Talk Now," introduces the blue-eyed gospel inflection that pops up throughout, though it's balanced by soft and fuzzy career favorites like "Something in the Way She Moves" (a much less somber version than the one that graces his Greatest Hits) and "Carolina on My Mind."

James Taylor is the kind of person I always thought the word folksinger referred to. He
writes and sings songs that are reflections of his own life, and performs in them in his own
style. All of his performances are marked by an eloquent simplicity. Mr. Taylor is not
kicking out any jams. He seems to be more interested in soothing his troubled mind. In the
process he will doubtless soothe a good many heads besides his own. Taylor's m... More >