1001 Albums Summary

Extremely talented guitar player, composer, lyricist, and singer. Rare talent Anywhere like heaven is a veritable country rock classics I’m not the biggest fan of his blues tracks (don’t you loose your lip on me, steamroller blues) of course great guitar work and good vocal range it just feels a little silly Standout tracks - Sweet Baby James, Anywhere But Heaven, Oh Susannah, Fire And Rain James Taylor owns the space of acoustic + drum + piano + country guitar solo Palatably complex acoustic guitar — best guitar is in anywhere but Heaven

Strange Meadowlark has an opening piano section that is equal parts jazz harmony and romantic-era sappy virtuosity. Really feels like an important unlock point for the conceptual peaks of multiple composition types/genres. At times deliberately tonal with sax lines that resemble a Bach étude —building an accessible familiarity into otherwise experimental structures. Prime example is Three to Get Ready Big band flair and frills of the American Broadway musical sensibility pepper the album, nowhere clearer than in Kathy’s Waltz What he does on this album is similar to what gershwin did with rhapsody in blue — using jazz as a jumping off point to explore the boundaries of a host of styles, from big band, broadway, vaudeville, blues, and even classical and romantic stylings. Distinctly creative and generative.