Sweet Baby James

Exactly what I expected. Iconic voice instantly recognizable. Simple and relaxing songs.

Three songs I really liked. The rest was fine.

It’s really not my thing, but it is sweet

Heard before. Liked it more this time around and I wonder why. + Sunny Skies + Steamroller Blues + Fire and Rain + Suite for 20 G

Pleasant folk-country stuff. Country Road was the only track which stood out though.

Guy with guitar. Good stuff.

Simple, slightly uninspired 60`s singer songwriter. Not the most impressive performances or songwriting, no real standout tracks. 3 stars

I quite liked the vibe of this. Loved the first couple of tracks.

Liked it a lot, grew on me as the album went on.

“Now i’m a napalm bomb, baby. Just guaranteed to blow your mind” Cool little album, really not my type of music at all, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this record. A very relaxing sounding album that i’m sure my grandma would love to listen to, also has the single: “Fire and Rain” on it, which is a great track and is going on the playlist. A high 3/5 although not my preferred music, very enjoyable

James Taylor as James Taylor always is... mellow, but good. Not in my playlist but certainly in my past. I will give him 3 just to not be a hater on a Friday.

A couple decent songs, but pretty boring overall. The instrumentation is bit too sparse, save for a couple songs that feature horns or slide guitar.

Cat: this MFer funky as hell. Sneaky.

Meh

meh

Laid back guitars and thoughtful lyrics. Very much a vibe.

3.5

Täähän oli kiva, etenkin alkupuoli. Lopussa jotenkin leviää käsiin, vähän epäonnistuneita kokeiluja. Jää nyt siis kolmeen.

I felt the rock.

Gentle acoustic numbers that sometimes feel a bit too safe. Taylors clarity of voice and decent acoustic guitar playing carry it along effortlessly, but a bit more variety would have helped. Even so, a couple if killer tracks in here.

The album was boring for me, but the last song is a banger

I really liked the last track but some of the other white boy blues songs were a bit cringey

Lovely songs, brilliantly crafted. Nothing for me stood out which I was expecting.

Pretty inoffensive stuff, light folky bluesy guitar driven fare. Not too much of interest but nice enough to listen to.

Rating: 6/10

It was alright but definitely not a vital inclusion on this list

Please give me something good

Mmmm just nice 3

Obviously Fire and Rain is a classic. I’ve got to say, James Taylor singing Steamroller at 109lbs, with the energy of an elementary school music teacher is a tough sell for me.

It's fine. Not really my thing.

I wanted to hate this bc the negative reviews were excellent. This however hits for me. Not perfect or even unique, just good old fashioned folk country

Not my thing at all, but definitely the best of the country records so far. He’s got a nice voice too, doesnt grate. Starts off a bit cliche, but tells a good story. I’m usually bored stiffless after a minute or so of country but I found myself listening to this. Maybe this isnt country, hence why I can tolerate it. I swear Belle and Sebastian have a song very similar to Sunny Skies. I’m writing this as I listen to it, and each track does seem to build on the last and it’s remarkably decent. Oh it’s getting bluesy now. Having this like. Love the guitar in steamroller blues, I love that ‘dusty’ sound, somewhere between a clean lead and a bit fuzz. Sounds so effortless. There’s definitely some rubbish on this, but there’s also a lot of gems. Definitely a few I’ll return too.

Two songs in I had already written this guy off as more country landfill, even more annoying than most. As the album progressed it got bluesier and there were a few songs that were great. Hard to rate given there were songs that were dire and enjoyable. A 3 I suppose? But theres an EP in here that's a 4 and one that's a hard 1.

I didn't find much to like about this album, except for the Blues songs. "Suite for 20 G" is the perfect example of contrasting styles. Overall it is quite dull and inoffensive. Highlights: Steamroller Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me Suite for 20 G

Never heard of this guy before. It's all very nice sounding, but it's not very interesting and like a few of the public reviews have said, it's so sickly sweet. Nothing offensive, nothing too interesting either unfortunately. Steam roller blues was decent Thought the second half of final track, "suite for 20G" was the best bit! The more bluesy bits were the stand outs from the rest

The big hits were fun, the rest was a little country for me

Everyone is wearing denim and buckskin. Someone has rolled a joint and it's being passed around. Desultory conversation. Maybe Harry Nilsson drops by with a bottle of wine, maybe Linda Ronstadt. In the corner a guy plays a song that features a walkdown from a Dsus4 chord and someone else says "right on." The sun is setting and the folk of Laurel Canyon are getting loose. A totally fucked scene. Anyway, this is alright. I like Taylor's fingerpicking and some of the songwriting is ace. 'Country Road' is great but sounds a little limp when compared to the harmony-heavy cover by obscure Brit-folk combo Unicorn - check it out. This is a nice, mellow time and given the right setting could even be a five star experience. By the same token, the hushed, earnest sincerity of Sweet Baby James has the capacity to harrow. Three stars.

I feel like this album would be a lot lamer if Sweet Baby James didn't have such a nice voice. We have applied the Sweet Baby James.

Sort of slides away in a pleasant way.

I know it's short but I still got a bit bored. Brought it back with suite for 20G.

3.5

Meh

loved some tracks had country folk blues and i liked it

This is barely a 3. If it leaned a bit more into the country sound, it would be a 2. It wasn't much to me, but it was a decent enough listen. I guess my favourite song was Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me.

3/5. It’s a nice album and it’s short and sweet but not anything groundbreaking. Some research revealed he made this album on $7500 which is pretty wild. Besides some hits, probably not gonna play the other ones.

Fire and Rain is a classic. The rest is just nice.

En godkänd platta.

alright, just ultimately too safe, conservative, and boring

I was only familiar with "Fire and Rain." I found this album really pleasant. I'm not usually into adult contemporary but this was nice.

I wanted to like it more than I did. I really like the sounds of James' voice and the simple acoustic instrumentation in most of the songs is very pleasant. Unfortunately so many of the songs just feel underwritten and don't really develop into much. 5/10

Chill, calm music to watch the world go by to.

Hadn't heard of James Taylor before. Had to google him to find out that he's supposedly a very beloved and "one of the best-selling artists of all time", but I don't quite get it I think, at least not judging from this album. I think the recording sounds very good technically for being 70s, but the songs sounds a bit like generic country to me. Nothing wrong with that, it wasn't bad, but don't really stand out to me either. Maybe it was something you had to experience when it came, not sure.

Nice singing. All in all a very cozy album where you just want to vibe with a cup of coffee. Adding to this there are some truly great tracks such as Fire and Rain. The whole album feels a bit safe though, I miss a unique pull such as the earlier John Prine album where the lyrics were hypnotizing.

wow! white boy blues! hes good at guitar. licks for days, blues riff bohnanzas, singstravaganza. white boy blueeeesssss. silly a bit though. you know im right.

Me gustó. Cuando ví la portada, por alguna razón, esperaba que fuera un buen álbum y quise escucharlo lo antes posible, pero en cuanto me di cuenta de que era Country, me asusté un poco, ya que el último álbum qué escuché de este genero fue Being There de Wilco, el cuál me pareció tan lento que ahora me da miedo explorar el genero. Por suerte para mi, termino siendo más digerible de lo que esperaba y, aunque tampoco me pareció la gran cosa, cumplió con lo suficiente para darle 3.

Great album and a great musician. Just that I've heard all these songs so many times that the album is mildly annoying and cloying.

I don't feel strongly about this album one way or another. It was good. Fire and Rain is still a great song.

Good album, not my genre.

Good to revisit, hasn't aged well though

Not bad actually

cute. 7/10

I went in expecting to dislike this but found it shockingly pleasant. He has a good voice and there's enough variety in style and instrumentation here to keep it interesting. I'm not sure how often I'd seek this out but I wouldn't complain about it being on for sure.

It's fine. He sounds nice, but the songs are fairly bland.

james taylor singing White Guy Mellow Acoustic Songs: good job. no notes. james taylor singing the blues: WHO DIPPED THESE RIBS IN MAYONNAISE

Chill music.

I gave this a lot of listens as I suspected it would be one that grew on me more than it did. It's generally decent and there are a couple of great tracks, but not as good as I'd hoped.

Pretty good

Ritmo tranquilo, pausado, relajado. Cantautor con algún toque country. Poco acompañamiento en las canciones

This album has a song I think is very good and I do like very much but just hurts to listen so I don't really ever seek it out. The opening verse, they let me know your gone and the part of writing this song, but not remembering who to send it to just makes me want to cry. It makes me thinks of those people and things you love so much but are gone and you know they will never be part of your life, ever again. Can't explain it, but this song just hurts bad and I feel like I can feel his agony...... Ok, enough of the deep stuff. This album not really my thing, but Taylor does have a great voice. Thought most songs were similar, not quite country, not quite all folk. I did like Steamroller Blues and Suite for 20 G bcause they were different and showed he has a lively side to him. I also though Country Road was decent too, but nothing really off this album I would download. I'm still going to give the album a 3, mainly for Fire and Rain. It's not a song I seek out but a song that really generates some pretty deep feelings and thoughts. 3

A more apt title for this album could have been "Sweet Baby Jams" for how smooth and kind-sounding this album is. Unlike most boring albums, James Taylor's outing here does keep a sense of interest throughout. The album is good enough to deserve its play, and if one were to rate this album on just its listenability, James Taylor certainly earns high praise just for that. Sure, one may not need to listen to this album, but they should at least get to hear it and decide for themselves.

It was alright, easy listening

Nice easy listening album, propped up by Fire & Rain, which is exceptional and reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer goes into space, which is a classic.

I think I sometimes have trouble getting past things that are too earnest. No denying the incredible guitar playing and equally perfect voice. Does earnest = bland?

This is clearly good but just leaves me a bit cold. Best song Fire and Rain.

He has a good voice, but it's boring to me

Can't tell if I've heard any of this before. Feels like I have. Nothing bad at all - doesn't stand out but hey. Kinda nameless soft country rock stuff. 3/5.

Sure, this singer-songwriter folk/country rock album has classic status and so naturally belongs to the list. It is in my album collection, but when I listened to it a few times today, I just found the overfamiliar songs a little bit too boring to give it more than 3 stars.

Nice easy listening album

Something annoying about listening to a white man sing the blues, but this album isn’t bad from a songwriting/production standpoint.

Like 3 unbelievably great songs and the rest is only ok.

Didn't overstay it's welcome. I liked most of it well enough but the big band tracks didn't land for me.

Solid folk album, 3.5

Melancholy Monday with JT

3.4/3.5 range. Nice

Always had a soft spot for some of his songs growing up but paradoxically, now older me didn’t connect.

Euh rustig, christelijk?

James Taylor has a soothing voice, but his music is far too easy listening for my taste.

Nice easy way to start the work week. Not a huge fan of James Taylor, but this was fine.

Nice enough

Fine and sweet and on doubting the lullaby appeals of title cut and "F&R" but oh so soft, like to the point of deteriorating. Bing Crosby would have been a more convincing bluesman. "Suite for 20 G" feels similarly out of place, with the add-on horns and electricity. Fine balladeer though he was, JT definiitively did not rock and could not wail and sounded silly trying to.

I've not heard any of James Taylor music before, but this specific album is very easy to listen too. It's a bluesy-country-folk fusion, and while the country heavy stuff like Sweet Baby James & Anywhere Like Heaven didn't really click with me, the more blusey offerings of Lo & Behold, Steamroller Blues, and Oh Baby, Don You Loose Your Lip on Me were wonderful discoveries. The big hit, Fire & Rain, was just fine for me. It doesn't really have the same highs as the songs I enjoyed more from this album. Overall, this album was more miss than hit for me, but it was a breeze to listen too, and pretty chill despite the "hopelessness looking for hope" vibe of the lyrics.

Прослушано! Хороший альбом, мелодичное кантри, спокойно и приятно слушать.

Kesä. Kalja. Terassi

Bit boring

Hmm. ok. I guess his songwriting is good but nothing stands out to me.

Alveg ágætt, betra en ég hélt.

It's got the hits, stars for that but the rest was meh

It's subtle. So subtle the sort of blues jam that would normally turn me off an album feels plaintive and kind of pretty. But also so subtle that it kind of slinked past me. I think it could be a grower, but just off today's listen, it's good, not great.

Man's got some tunes in him. This is not my kind of genre or anything, but I found it to be pretty chill background music to study to. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to write home about either. The perfect 3/5 in my book.

Most of the genre stuff - the folky, the jazzy soul, a Cowboy song for crying out loud- just doesn’t hit for me. The wrong voice. He sings well, the accompaniment is solid and professional, it just doesn’t quite ring true. Only the big hit really lands - Taylor needs to be a genre in himself.

I don't mind James Taylor in small doses, and some of this is good, Steamroller Blues is catchy for sure, but if you want a singer-songwriter who tells stories of America that are meant to be meaningful and resonant lasting beyond their respective eras, give me Springsteen ten times out of ten.

Sweet and enjoyable folk album. Nice soft rock elements. Though overall not an overtly memorable album, but still a good one over all!

3.5

Pretty nice adult contemporary pop album. 3 stars

Simpatico, ma mi aspettavo John Denver e ci sono rimasto un po' male.

I just feel this is ok. Nothing terrible but nothing I find particularly memorable.

Very chill album. Only acoustic guitar through the entire record is a nice change of pace from some of the other albums. Most of these songs are good but other than Fire and Rain there wasn't really any stand out songs on here. Solid and relaxing 5/10

Nice album. Enjoyed listening to it.

Very pleasant, but not super exciting. He has a lovely voice, and moves in an engaging variety of styles, but the lyrics are a little simple and there's a slight lack of emotion at times. Enjoyable enough, and an artist I would be happy to hear again, but not one I can give a really high score.

More like 3.5 - some nice tracks, nothing knock out.

Enjoyable Folk-Country album with a great runtime that ultimately though fails to leave a lasting impression with any of its songs

Charming.

Is someone born in 1975 I grew up with James Taylor. My parents played this all the time. There was a time when I was very little when I loved it. Then there wasn’t much longer time when I hated everything about it. Now that I’m older I think I can say that I’ve settled somewhere in between. there are some all-time classic on the album. But it’s not something that I would like to pass on to my children

Yes it's sturdy songwriting and at least there's a band, but hard to get too excited about this now.

Ptite Bluegrass tah les fous qui m-a mis bien bien bien, je me sentais en Alabama au plus grand des calmes ! 3.5/4

Matig, beetje saai. Wel kort dus dat was mooi

Wasn’t bad

I loved James Taylor so much when I was a teenager. I thought he wrote the prettiest songs I'd ever heard, and that's still true in some cases--Fire and Rain is perfect melodic gorgeousness. His fingerpicking is just lovely too. But when I listen to James Taylor now, I can't help but think about that old Dennis Leary bit where he says that if people are allowed to sue metal bands for making their kids suicidal then he should be able to sue James Taylor for turning him into a pussy in the mid-70s. Like seriously, some of this stuff is so saccharine it makes my teeth hurt. "Blossom, smile some sunshine down my way! Lalalalalala!" <Barrrfffff!!> And he really should not be allowed to do Blues. "I'm a churning urn of burning funk!" No, James. No, you're not.

Never ever knew he existed! It’s ok, but middle of the road country blues.

Comfortable and approachable. This album is meant for a warm, peaceful summer day. You could fall asleep in the shade, reflect on a past love as you stare at the leaves above you. There are passing storms and distant thunder but the world is short of threats and open to possibilities when this album is on.

Very jolly and easy-listening. light beats

James Taylor sounds like the epitome of the struggling artist. Couch surfing, basically broke when creating this album, and finishing the album well under budget. Heck, to complete the album and get his promised $20k upon completion, mashed together three unfinished songs into one that was cheekily titled "Suite for 20G". Overall it was an ok folk rock album, but didn't really have much to grab me. Best: Fire and Rain Worst: Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me

3.5/5

Tranquilito y ameno. Esperaba que sonara como en los Simpsons y no me defraudó. 37 minutos tranquilos, de música suave con un par de canciones más movidas. No estorba, no me vuelve loco. Steamroller es la mejor del disco. 2.5 estrellas que suben a 3.

first listen some great stuff here

Alright Prefs: Sweet Baby James, Steamroller, Fire and Rain, Suite For 20G Moins pref: Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me

me gusta pero no me atrae mucho el estilo el canto era muy parecido siempre y muy lineal. pero entiendo a qué corresponde eso

Just a bit MOR and countrified. Not offensive though!

enjoyed the first few tracks but got a little repetitive towards the end

Quite enjoyable. Didn't blow me away though.

Fine. A bit too country for me, but still decent, so I'll rate it a 3. In all likelihood, I won't listen to it again.

Warm and easy listening. Great for the background when you're doing something else, but not particularly engaging. 'Meh' sums it up for me.

Surprised by this. Didn’t know what to expect at all, but pleasantly surprised and will definitely listen again.

Nice |:)

Par låtar in var detta en fyra.... några vitgosse bluesnummer och en låt om hur episkt sten och rull är senare är det en trea....

I've never listened to JT before, talk about effortlessly smooth.

Oh god. I don't have a problem with this in theory. The sensitive male singer-songwriter. That's fine, if that's who you are. But I don't think that is who James Taylor is. I think it's a well constructed persona to sell records and isn't representative of who he actually is as a person. I don't buy it, I'm highly suspicious of it. Partly because I can't get past a grown man naming his album Sweet Baby James. That is truly wretched. And partly because in this photo he looks so much like my douchebag ex-boyfriend. The flowing long hair and the faraway, emotionally unavailable look in his eyes. I know that look too well. It's a meticulous ruse, a long con. The forlorn and brooding look of the tortured soul bad boy that you could reform, only you and your special love! That look has sucked me into a vortex of bullshit the likes I've never known and I'm not falling for it again. That look is the hallmark of the worst kind of womanizer: the one who truly believes his own manipulative crap. He isn't a player, he's just had bad luck with women. Well, fuck you Luke! Er. James. Fuck you very much. I'm glad he's bald now.

Nie taki zły jak się zapowiadał

Decent James

This was nice easy listening and well-written folk. Not much else to say honestly

(tbh I coasted on yesterday’s ranking- I love Dusty but didn’t have the time to listen to that album again) So James Taylor kind of slaps? I always dismissed his stuff, but he’s got some killer hooks behind him. I prefer his original stuff to his covers, and I doubt this will ever be a favorite, but this is a nice, easy listen. C

Sounds like at mix between Rodriguez (at least one song) and Jim Croze. Both of these would likley get a 5 from me. I enjoyed the record but have no connection to it which I think brings it down a bit for me. Had it part of my formative years I would see it as rating higher.

Soft and sweet singer/songwriter James Taylor serenades for all of a half-hour. It's nice enough.

Listened on RS 500.

James has always sounded a bit weedy, to me. This album doesn't change my mind. Fire and Rain is unquestionably brilliant, and there are some good lines in some of the other songs. But it isn't an album that I needed to hear.

Pretty good folk rock, and I get the hype, though it wouldn't be my go to album.

Liked fire and rain

Liked it, bit repetitive.

6/10 very listenable but very cheesy

5/10. Got impressively boring for only being half an hour long.

One of the most soothing voices ever. Applause to you James Taylor!

3.5 a vecea es muy bonito y otras me siento en deep texas pero la voz de james Taylor la verdad es que mis dieses

I like his voice and the tunes are all hummable. Frankly a little forgettable though. I dug into his wiki bio and it makes sense of the James Taylor hate that I'd previously only been slightly aware of. Lots of great breaks from friends and a wealthy family that can sweep in and fix everything at the drop of a hat but he still manages to find himself strung out on heroin and homeless. Inoffensive, gentle 70s tunes.

there's no other!

Nice and chilled

Nice

Best Song: Sweet Baby James. A smooth introduction to the album, where his voice is really able to shine. Interesting lyrics about religion as well. Worst Song: Steam Roller Blues. It just doesn't feel like he has the right timbre of voice to grit out this kind of song. His voice is altogether too clean, even if I do like the backing instrumentals. Overall: Not my typically preferred style of music, but the concise and well-written songs, in combination with Taylor's gentle and smooth voice, works as well as it can for me.

I used to enjoy this more than I do now. Not bad folk singer/songwriter stuff, but not my style.

Perfectly acceptable record. Nothing more, nothing less. Wouldn’t ever switch it off, but would I actively seek it out to listen to? Not so sure! 3 stars it is!

Solid. Not really up my alley but the songs were concise and well-written. James is an excellent performer on top of that so this made for a pleasant listen.

It was chill in the background but I wasn't able to really absorb this one...on the other hand it didn't really jump out at me. Maybe it just isn't my thing.

I wanted to like this album, I really did. However, the good about it doesn't outweigh the fact that basically every song sounds the same. Steamroller blues should never have been included, since it sounds like Taylor took a class class called "How to play white guy blues for dummies." Oh Suzanna is similarly bad. Fire and Rain is a notable high point. The production is excellent as well. The character of his guitar really shines through. It just doesn't make up for the fact that this album is boring

Rather bland, but I guess okay.

Much better than I expected; very pleasant and doesn't outstay it's welcome.

Lovely voice and guitar picking. Nice mix of folk and rhythm & blues. Contains several JT hits, so a good album overall.

Folk, country

Mildly buttery baby James

Folk-country bastante lento. Por lo menos canta muy bien.

Oh OK but didn't invest

A bit too chill for me. Prefer Nick Drake if I'm going down that route.

Easy to listen to. 3/5

just a bit too gentle and folksy nice for me

Good album. Nice voicing, good country

Soft rock en el seu format més reposat i californià. Excel.lent disc de carretera o de capverpre d'estiu. A més, destaquen és clar les lletres de Taylor i la seva veu melangiosa i crepuscular, fins i tot de jove. Un bon disc

Pretty nice but also lost me at some moments.

we get it you like jesus

-I like the horns and bassline in "Steamroller Blues" -"Suite for 20 G" is cool and groovy -Other than those 2 tracks, the album was generally just fine. No real plans to revisit

Mostly pleasant, if somewhat bland.

Not bad, quite up and down though - quite saccharine in places

Yeah. That’s an album. Not my thing, but I knew girls in college who were all about it.

not for me

Obviously good, but JT bores me

Fire and Rain is amazing... and James Taylor's voice is generally soothing, though i could pass on the uptempo Straemroller and really only really enjoy country road. The rest is fine, but leaves it at a 3.

Made me feel like I was a cowboy

9th August 2021 Listened throughout the day on the phone. Really nice, easy listening. Simple songwriting is the most difficult and James Taylor is a master of it.

Beautiful home-grown sound. Not a lot of really surprising stuff, and didn't quite hook me very well.

Easy listening. Most of it was easy to ignore which is both good and bad. My favorite tracks were the bluesy ones...would listen to those again.

"There’s a song that they sing of their home in the sky / maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep / but singing works just fine for me" Relateable! This album went from a 2.5 to a 3.5 after hearing that line. Then it went to a 3 as it slowly progressed. Then, when it got halfway through ”Suite for 20 G” and we got the boogie-woogie we all deserved, it shot up to a 4. This album is safe, inoffensive and commercial. Sweet. So sweet that I feel a bit cruel for giving it this low a rating, but it didn't really stick with me in any substantial way.

The "Sweet Baby James" song is a classic. The other songs are so so on this folk rock album by James Taylor.

It's not at all the kind of thing I would listen to but I enjoyed it, even if it's more than a bit cliché.

Recklessly peaceful

Its nice enough in a Sunday morning, put on something low key, did I really do that last night, shots were probably a bad idea, oh jesus I might have some calls to make sort of way. Can we also talk about the weirdness of calling your album Sweet Baby James if your name is James....

Mieux que ce que je pensais. 3/5 Fav : Steamroller

I thought CHIC it was well fun, absolutely love a bit of disco! Didn't get to say that before. James Taylor really isn't the music I normally gravitate towards but it did match my mood in the moment I decided to listen to it

Early country pop? Very moody, Colorado music. Not my favorite

Like his music

Some familiar songs, and everything else just feels familiar. Easy, comfortable, not exciting, but kinda pleasant overall.

Wisselvallig. Op zich niets dat ik nog niet van iemand anders heb gehoord. Steamroller blues was nog het leukste.

easy-listening folk-rock, goed album voor op de achtergrond

Fire & Rain is excellent (even though it reminds me of those awful AM radio days). There are also some other nice songs like Country Road and the LP also has some wicked licks thrown in for good measure such as the blues licks on Steamroller and Ok Baby Don’t…”. If I were listening to this in the 60s it would be above 3 but the 60s are long gone so this has to stand in a retrospective light. As such, I have only so many 4/5s to hand out to singer songwriters and those premium ratings will go to Bob and Leonard.

Nice n bluesy

Not too bad at all

eh

"There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway A song that they sing when they take to the sea A song that they sing of their home in the sky Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep But singing works just fine for me" (Sweet baby James) "Sunny Skies weeps in the evening It doesn't much matter why I guess he just has to cry from time to time" (Sunny Skies) Bastante bien, cada vez más metida en el country.

low three, nice vibes

Fire & Rain on this album. Easy listening album. 6/10.

I expected more from this album. The folk songs were good, but the rock and funk songs felt forced.

There's nothing really wrong with this and I do like 'Fire and Rain', but if I'm listening to albums I'd rather listen to America or Gordon Lightfoot.

Not really my thing but I can see why people like it

not bad

I'm into it.

"I am a cement mixer for you babe". Schönes kleines Album, gemütlicher Blues. Nicht wirklich was besonderes, weder in die eine Richtung, noch in die andere. Ich hab die 2019 Remastered Version gehört. Da ich den direkten Link von dieser Seite nicht mehr hatte, weiß ich nicht ob es die richtige Version war.

Old 70s Country with a hint of blues. Not really my type of music, but still pretty relaxing to listen to.

James Taylor is a talented songwriter, singer, and guitarist, but for me his music is sort of bland and not super interesting. 3 stars.

Honestly pretty mellow and pretty good. Definitely thought this was a black guy my whole life. Solid listen.

Buttery smooth voice. Now I know what a slide guitar is. I couldn’t tell if his blues songs were like a 70s version of what Macklemore, Post Malone, or Eminem are to hip hop.

Fine tracks, nice easy listening.

That confused me. Had some banging guitar bits but was also really shit in some parts.

Didn’t really connect with the lyrics - maybe need to live in the south USA and drive a truck. Some nice music though

Pretty relaxing. I like the sound of this album.

Spotify. Not for me. Fire and Rain is good.

smooth, classic

It's ok

No fav song

I don’t mind this as folk/country music goes. I think it’s safe to say that it’s not rock music and the genre matching has gone a bit off grid here. I have a sensitive gag reflex when it comes to country music with their long-told tales of toiling on the plains with their horse and cattle and the first song on this album is a colour by numbers of that trope. The rest is similar, but manages to claw its way out of the bear trap of country music tropes. It’s still walking on one leg with blood gushing from a stump that was its other leg, but impending death means it focussed on the music more, to its credit.(I’m rewatching the walking dead as I listen to this at the moment. It may be having an influence on my review).

I dunno man, this doesn't do it for me. The smooth singer-songwriter stuff is fine, if anodyne, and washes right over me, but the blues stuff is jarring to me in a way that pulls me out of something I don't even really pay attention to anyway. Apparently I'm A Steamroller was a piss-take? I don't care, it still sucks. Drags down an otherwise smooth brain listening experience. I'll pass.

Quirky, folksy album that never really caught my interest.

Not my vibe

White bread!

Wednesday, 3 June, 2026 Eh.

Way too soft and treacly for me. “Fire and Rain” is a classic of course but everything else? I don’t have the patience for this kind of blandness. I need bite.

I was in my early teens when this album came out, with a majority of listeners being female. I’m certainly not a fan, I think most of his work is overly sentimental and simplistic. I do however enjoy the title song and the song Fire and Rain is his best work. However, Steamroller Blues reminds me why pop singer songwriters should never sing the blues.

Not bad Fav track: Fire and Rain

fav song: sweet baby james safe, mellow, polished 40/100

It was alright, I enjoy the big songs. A tad boring but moves quickly. Rating: 2.3

After 10 tracks of the same stuff I think the producer asked him to do something different. And he listened to this tip! Suite For 20 G is a good track. Why doesn't sound 75% of the album like this track? If so I would gave it more stars. Now: 2/5

Boooo

Mid

yawnnnnnnn. steamroller blues is kinda nice and so is oh, susannah, but i feel Nothing listening to fire & rain. why are the strings there? why are the drum fills so loud? i was gonna say i can't hate him too much cause he wrote These Days but that was actually Jackson Browne. #IFeltNothing

i'm gonna fucking kill myself. fuck. same stuff mentioned prior. minus amish stuff. + the fred neil stuff + the "simple desultory" stuff (except steamroller sounds sick) + the fleshing out issues of "parsley sage" + "why is the best song at the end" of hms fable. there's only so many times/ways i can say the same thing. alternatively (to quote the Original 'oh susanna'): "Dis darkie'l surely die." don't worry. you can save me by slaughtering jann wenner. make it painful. 2.5-3.2.

folky. jesus. chill.

Bland

Kinda uneven. When it's good, it's really good. But then a grown ass man has us listening to Oh Susannah.

I hate the guy's voice. It's like he's trying to annoy me with his positivity.

nice and passive

The most unconvincing steam roller/cement mixer/napalm bomb ever. Great craft, terribly dull, not for me.

Didn't really hit with me - nothing wrong with it but not an album. I'll go back to. (2 seems a low score but I've scored albums I've enjoyed more a 3)

zijn lyrics en stem komen niet echt overeen. Te zachtaardig.

Not the worst of the white-guy-with-an-acoustic-guitar genre…

I bet if I listened to this on a road trip I’d like it more. Fire & Rain is an all-timer folk song. Also the album title made me laugh

It’s fine not really my THING Insane album title

Sweet Baby Jesus.. Es Album wo de ersti Satz "there was a young cowboy, lives on the range" isch, het bi mir scho verlore. bin immer wider überrascht, wie sehr ich country wükli scheisse find. git ned meh wie 2 sweet baby Timons

Better sound than expected: big, clean 70s vinyl. Swap out a few lyrics and this sounds like a great toddler sing along album

2.0 - Weak, only gets a 2 because Fire and Rain is a legit classic

I found his voice quite whiney so this was astruggle.

I don’t think I know who James Taylor is truly, but in a weird way, he looks like Bundy. I think that added to my discomfort, which is rather unfortunate for him.

I feel like this is one of the most faceless or unoriginal albums on the list. The country songs are bad, but that's just because of the genre - James is OK at performing them. The American folk songs are aimless and forgettable, but that's just because of the genre - James feels half asleep performing them. The blues songs are great, but that's just because of the genre - James is finally awake while performing them. Even the artist's name and album cover are completely replaceable without anyone noticing. That being said, I did like the blues on this. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

I was looking forward to listening to this - I fully expected to find myself bathed in that glorious, sun-drenched, Laurel Canyon, singer-songwriter vibe that I'm so partial to... but... meh. Fire and Rain is a classic but it's literally the only one here that caught my attention. The rest just sounded very dry and a little trite - singer-songwritier-by-numbers - even though I know he was at the forefront of that whole scene. It was done better elsewhere by JT and his peers.

Yes, it's all very sweet, perhaps even cloying, just a bit too much all in one go.

I've never listened to James Taylor, but I associated him with Jackson Browne, who I've not listened to much but whose album Late for the Sky (and whose song These Days, particularly the Nico version) I like quite a bit. This album at least I found to be some saccharine, unconvincing bullshit. He tries various styles – countryish, gospel, blues, folk – none of which succeed. A mercifully short 31 minutes. Two-Lane Blacktop is a good road movie in the late 60s/early 70s crop of Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Zabriskie Point etc., but it's been a few years since I watched it and James Taylor's performance doesn't stick in my mind when I think of that movie. I think of Warren Oates' line: "If I'm not grounded pretty soon, I'm gonna go into orbit".

Muy tranqui

Forgot about most of this as I was listening to it :( Way more Jesus-y than I was expecting! The extra star is literally just for Fire And Rain (although Steamroller Blues got really close to canceling that out).

Background music but I was sort of actively disinterested, so it's kind of a 2.5/5. Rounding down because I was told it was serial killer music. 2/5.

soor van ultra light neil young.. verdwijnt rap op de achtergrond

Never heard of this before. I read the description of folk rock singer songwriter, so thought it might be alright, but no. Too country for me.

Didn't seem remarkable to me.

Fire and Rain is a classic. Not a fan of much else here.

Steamroller is a fun song!, some songs are very religious like lo and behold and some are like a fun jingle like sunny skies

All the songs sound the same, and thats not necessarily a good thing

Not really a fan of this one. Not bad, just not my thing. 2/5

Bien pero no es pa mi

Ugh, this one was mostly a struggle. I really don’t care to hear about Jesus in music, especially bland ass music like this, so I ended up hitting skip on a couple tracks. A couple decent songs, but the rest was meh.

This kind of soft rock 70s stuff feels really shmaltzy and tries so hard to be “easy listening ” that it’s a really tough listen

Liked: Sunny Skies, Anywhere like Heaven, Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip on Me

Top Songs: Fire and Rain

Ikke lige mig. Noget af det lidt for kedeligt. Noget af det lidt for funky. Også lidt bedaget lyd.

meh

A bit meh, very nice sounding but kinda dull, not doing it for me

Boring

3/10

Hmm, very "spiritual".

Sweet Baby James - 3.5/5 Lo and Behold - 2/5 Sunny Skies - 2/5 Steamroller - 1.5/5 Country Road - 3/5 Oh Susannah - 2.5/5 Fire and Rain - 3.5/5 Blossom - 3/5 Anywhere Like Heaven - 3/5 Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip on Me - 2.5/5 Suite for 20 G - 3/5 I can't rate an album highly if you compare boinking your significant other as if you were a steamroller. This could definitely placate anyone born before the 1960's. For me it's just perfectly cromulent. Overall: 2.5/5 Favorites: Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain

Это не плохая музыка, просто не моя подача. Альбом топчется на месте, лишь в конце выдавая какую-то структуру.

Oh my gawd he does yacht blues too?

I'm sure that James Taylor is a good songwriter. But I simply don't like this kind of music. This is fine to listen to in the background when you don't really hear it. But not for concentrated listening.

..

Lullabies for the Gatsbys. So well performed and meticulously recorded, so beige. It's like taking a master craftsman and having him roll white paint on ceilings.

I guess this is fine for what it is, but it's not really for me.

:) baby music. Prefer Carole King

Nie dla mnie totalnie, nie mój styl- coś Ala country jeśli nie country

This is how I learn he was actually a former president.

if im killed and i will oh please please raise a stone and ascribe all of these lonely word "fuck this shit"

I only liked the bluesy songs

Not bad, however extremely boring

James Taylor has a wonderful voice and I’m grateful to him for the inspiration he must have offered Michael Stipe (and, I suppose James Blunt – begrudgingly, if the price of James Blunt existing in the public eye is his music, I’ll pay it). There are moments in this record – “Blossom”, or the bridge of “Suite for 20 G” (a song that manages to be pretty much all bridge) – where I’m transported by the sheer quality of what’s happening. The professionalism of it. But ultimately, it’s background stuff. The most backgroundy background stuff ever put to record, very perhaps.

It’s a’ight. Saved 2-3 songs; once is enough with the rest.

I thought I would like this album since Fire and Rain is so iconic, and Sweet Baby James is a lovely song. But no, I cannot stomach a whole album of James Taylor.

Clearly has talent, but other than the occasional standout, not really appealing to me.

I think this is perfectly fine but its very generic and uses very standard formulas for the songs which just cause fatigue whilst listening.