Covers - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
Covers is the cd that James Taylor fans have been anticipating for years. Recorded live with his full band in a barn in Massachusetts that was transformed into a studio, the album is a treasury of songs he has performed live over the years, but never recorded. It is an American songbook of tunes made famous by artists as varied Buddy Holly, The Dixie Chicks, The Temptations, Leonard Cohen, George Jones and Eddie Cochran, but embraced and interpreted by James Taylor in a way that makes each one his own. It is a significant work by one of the greatest artists of his generation, which pays tribute to classic American songs from Broadway to Nashville, Detroit to Memphis and across all boundaries. Covers is in itself a classic James Taylor recording.

Album Description
James Taylor and his band reinterpret 12 brand new recordings of songs by notable artists in the 2008 Covers album. James Taylor is the legendary singer/songwriter five time Grammy Award winner who is one of the most respected and successful artists in the history of popular music. He has sold more than 40 million albums in his career. His last CD, 2007's One Man Band, achieved gold sales achieved gold sales status.

Customer Reviews: Read 89 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

OH HELL, TAYLOR COULD SING THE PHONE BOOK COVER... September 30, 2008
93 out of 97 found this review helpful

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.

2 out of 5 stars

I wish James would leave Comfort Zone, MA... October 2, 2008
29 out of 36 found this review helpful

Love James Taylor - what a talent. He is head and shoulders above most pop artists. That said, I was very disappointed in this release, though not surprised.

It pains me to say it, but a lot of James Taylor's records in the past ten years or so are taking on a Muzak quality. Smooth, unbelieveably professional and, well, dull. Though I hoped I was wrong, when I saw the song list, I was able to very accurately predict the sound of each song. Not because I am a genius (although I am), but because Taylor has become so incredibly, uh, predictable. My suggestion is he get a new band, maybe one that doesn't play so note-for-note perfect, and some raspy voiced back-up singers.

As for specifics, I saw that Taylor stated his version of "Hound Dog" was closer to Thornton's version than Presley's. That's half true. It sounds nothing like Presley's. But to say it resembles Thornton's in any way is wild overstatement. This is "Hound Dog" done by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

There are some interesting selections. "Why Baby Why" underscores Taylor's love of classic country music (dare I say, Country and Western) and "Seminole Wind" is a forgotten gem by country man John Anderson - cudos to Taylor for reviving it. It would be incorrect, though, to say Taylor does anything interesting with them.

I was especially anxious to hear his version of "Wichita Lineman", the old Jimmy Webb penned, Glen Campbell classic (see Campbell's new "Meet Glen Campbell" for interesting-but-not-too-far-off-the-beaten-path listening). While Taylor's version is pleasant enough, with a particularly odd focus on e-nun-ci-at-ing the song's title, that's about it.

Therein lies the problem to my ears. It's all pleasant enough, and maybe Taylor is satisified with that at this later date in his career. God knows he has nothing to prove. It seems to me, however, if you are going to go to the trouble to make a record, there should be something interesting to recommend it. I can't think of one thing on "Covers".

That said, if this is the path Taylor continues to follow, "On Broadway" is perfect. It calls to mind the old song machine of Tin Pan Alley and professional song writers. Taylor's absolutely professional approach suits it down to the ground.

There's a trap in doing a covers record. It can lead people to believe the artist is so far past his prime that he is content to put out music he can do in his sleep. That is not always the case with a covers album, but it sure seems to be the case with this one.

An aside: being an avid liner notes reader, I was interested in why Taylor chose these songs - maybe some comments regarding the original versions. Alas, not to be. The standard "...and special thanks to..."

4 out of 5 stars

Death, Taxes...and James Taylor October 1, 2008
24 out of 26 found this review helpful

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.

2 out of 5 stars

An indulgence or a withering of creative juices? September 30, 2008
22 out of 30 found this review helpful

James Taylor has had enormous success in the past covering material of everyone from Carole King to Marvin Gaye so an album of cover songs should come as no surprise. But to justify its existence an entire album of cover songs should either improve on the original or, at the very least, put the covering artist's unique imprimatur on the songs in a way that makes them seem fresh and new. I doubt even Taylor would suggest that this album accomplishes the former.

Clearly, however, the performances in this collection fit snuggly into to the James Taylor mold which he has crafted and refined over the many decades of his illustrious career. But, alas, few of the versions here breathe new life into these classics. Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne", for example, lacks the pathos of the original. The slick R & B arrangement complete strong percussion and horns on "Summertime Blues" belies the youthful pent-up energy of Eddie Cochran or the later Blue Cheer versions of the song. This is not a song for geezers, even those as talented as Taylor, even as an exercise in nostalgia. Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" is an improvement on the Glen Campbell string saturated hit version, but doesn't approach the yearning of Freedy Johnston's achingly beautiful version. Perhaps the most surprising success is found with "Hound Dog" which Taylor truly makes his own.

This album does provide a further glimpse into Taylor's musical tastes and roots and will be devoured with relish by his legion of loyal fans. It will, however, leave more causal fans (as well as fans of the original works) wondering why he bothered. Coming on the heels of an album of Christmas covers and another comprised of retreads of past hits, one can only hope that this album is an indulgence by an artist who is at a point in his illustrious career where he can afford to engage in such an activity and not the withering of the creative energy of a truly great songwriting artist. Next time, James, please give us new material of your own.

5 out of 5 stars

You should hear this stuff live! September 30, 2008
21 out of 23 found this review helpful

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....

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