For those who are
fans, James Taylor's music is kind of like a warm blanket – it's soothing, both
comfortable and comforting, and doesn't offer much in the way of surprises.
At this point -
hell for most of his career, actually – you know exactly what you're getting
when you buy a Taylor album: some light folk rock, shot through with sadness
and joy, all delivered by Taylor's seemingly never-changing, warm voice. Before This World, his first album of
original material since 2002's underrated October
Road, delivers all the things fans have come to love. I suppose you could
Taylor is pretty stagnate when it comes to his music, but I think those who
love it would argue that's part of his charm – there's comfort in the tunes he
delivers.
Before This World
really checks off all the boxes you could want from a James Taylor album – from
the locational tracks, like highlight "Montana," – where Taylor takes
his typical affection for places like Carolina, and transports it out west to
his new home – to "Before This World," which finds Taylor going back
to themes of time's passage already covered by songs like "Secret o'Life." Even if he's not drawing any new conclusions or offering any new
answers, hearing Taylor meander over these familiar paths is a treat.
The album opens
with "Today Today Today," a lovely country-tinged number that
celebrates the freedom of hitting the road (see "Country Road" if
you need proof Taylor mastered this ages ago). The track features some lovely
violin-playing (one of the most prominent instruments on the album) and it
helps to convey that southern folk feel Taylor has been perfecting for decades.
Taylor even joins vocal Boston Red Sox fans like Stephen King on "Angels
of Fenway," as he details the storied history of one of America's favorite
underdog teams.
Then there is
"Far Afghanistan," his most political and ominous sounding song in a
long, long time. Taylor sings about the challenges facing both American and
Afghani soldiers, and taps into the war-torn history of the rugged country to
deliver one of the most personal songs on the album. When he sings about
expecting to be derided when he visited, and instead being shocked by how
beautiful the country is, it's a lesson to how easy it is to get tied down by
misconceptions.
There are lovely
musical references to previous works sprinkled throughout the album, like when
Taylor transitions into "Jolly Springtime" about halfway through into
"Before This World," there is a moment when you think he's updated
"Only a Dream in Rio" or something. The best example of the
familiarity Taylor does so well comes on the album's two best songs – "Stretch
of the Highway" and "Wild Mountain Thyme." "Stretch"
is another one of Taylor's traveling songs, but it has some truly lovely horn
lines working under the song, and the chorus has a wonderful bit of melancholy
to it. Plus, it's funny. If you've ever seen Taylor live, you know he's a
terrifically funny guy, and there are some delicious splashes of it to be found
here.
"Wild
Mountain Thyme" was actually originally released as a live version from
the Telluride Bluegrass Festival ages ago, and is one of my favorite Taylor
gems, so I was thrilled to see it included here. It's a traditional song that
has been covered by everyone from Judy Collins to The Byrds, and Taylor is
really the perfect person to deliver this sweet and heartbreaking song, with
its simple acoustic phrases and bittersweet lyrics. Taylor has been able to
nail this sadness for years, and when he focuses his powers on this classic
folk song, the result is staggering. It's the kind of song you could easily
believe Taylor actually wrote, instead of being penned in the centuries ago.
In a way, that's
Taylor's gift, and he ably demonstrates it on Before This World. Taylor has a sound,
and when he's working in that wheelhouse, the results can be incredibly
affecting. It's nice to hear after all these years, he has stayed true.
Before This World is
out on Concord.
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