Covers

James Taylor has become an icon in the music industry for singer-songwriters. His music has covered many decades and his recent album, Covers, is a collection of classics from many of his contemporaries. With all the music that Taylor has released, he could get away with a lot and many will still love him. This album sounds like many of his classic albums and one may not notice that these songs are actually covers.

The two standout tracks on the album are "On Broadway" and "Wichita Lineman." The motown classic, "On Broadway," gets the true James Taylor arrangement. For "Wichita Lineman," the arrangement is beautiful, with a country violin sound that is beautifully played in the background. If you are looking for a true James Taylor sound, the best song on the track has to be "Suzanne," which is simplistic and showcases the storytelling side of Taylor.

There is disappointment with a few of the tracks that James Taylor selected. The Elvis hit, "Hound Dog," is cute, but it is a throwaway track on this album. It seems out of place with the rest of the tracks on the album and becomes redundant after several listens. I could have done without it. I'm disappointed in the fact that there is a really good version of "Knock on Wood" floating around that wasn't added to this album.

There is a degree of difficulty criticizing this album. It is a classic James Taylor sound. With that, it becomes quite redundant after the fifth track, even with tempo changes. Although it would make a smooth driving album, I'd fear that I'd fall asleep on the wheel from Taylor's soothing voice. The whole album goes by so quickly because four of the tracks are less than three minutes each in length. The album also has a slight country twang to it, so if you're not a fan of country music, some of the tracks may be a turn-off. Covers should have had more tracks and explored a few more songs.

I own the LP for James Taylor's Sweet Baby James and the cover of Covers scares me a little. When did Taylor get old, let alone a little creepy looking. The stare that Taylor emits on the cover is a little spooky to me and I really wished that they had spent a little more money on the cover. Although James Taylor at Christmas has the same creepy stare/smile combo, it's a good cover.

Anyone who is looking for a smooth adult contemporary album or is a fan of James Taylor, Covers is a good choice. There are just so many cover albums out there that Covers gets buried in the shuffle. The album sounds like a classic James Taylor album and that is both good and bad. Good that it shows that, even with age, Taylor still sounds good; bad in the fact that it all sounds the same.