James Taylor – Sweet Baby James (1970)

Exemplary logo by Sarca @ caughtmegaming

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[Album 535/1001]

Addition by Subtraction.

Seems illogical, but occasionally works wonderfully.

As it does with James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James.

In his case, the fewer the instruments that appear on a given track, the more I enjoy the track:

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For example, the closing track, Suite for 20G, feels like it might have 20 guys & gals playing on it.

To his credit, Taylor helps keep things organized by name-checking some of the instruments as they appear, “wanna hear a saxophone…slide me a bass trombone.”

Fine performances all-around they may be, it’s just not what I signed up for when I popped in my 8-track cartridge.

Instead, if I’m listening to James Taylor, I’d prefer to listen to James Taylor.

Which, apart from a probable overdubbed guitar in the intro/outro (the liner notes on my 8-track aren’t terribly detailed), is exactly what you get with his version of Oh, Susanna.

His gentle vocal delivery pairs really nicely with some intricate picking & chording.

Much as I love the banjo, given the familiar chorus lyric, bonus marks really ought to be awarded for playing Oh, Susanna exclusively on an acoustic guitar!

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Verbalize the Positive

There’s a line in the movie, As Good As it Gets, where Jack Nicholson’s character offers Helen Hunt’s character the compliment, “You make me want to be a better man.”

Admittedly, I haven’t seen the film (I remember the line from the trailers); nor have I listened to much James Taylor beyond this album.

But when I hear a solo guitar performance like Taylor’s rendition of Oh, Susanna, I’m left with a similar feeling: tracks like this one make me want to be a better guitarist.

So cheers for that James Taylor!