LOS ANGELES, CA
With a strong four-piece band and a quartet of backup singers,
Taylor worked through his career songbook. Early standouts like
"Country Road" and "Carolina in My Mind" were given effective
updates, big hits like "Fire and Rain" and "You've Got a Friend"
were performed in a winning, modest fashion, and a few well-built
new tunes demonstrated that Taylor's writing still has muscle.
His songs offer an odd scatter of Americana--great floods, cattle
drives, smiling faces and problematic lovers come to life in music
that echoes blues, gospel and folk balladry. But the blend is
uniquely Taylor's, and in performance his distinctively clear and
easy vocal style made each tune smooth and affecting. Some might
suspect a Taylor set list would settle into sentimental torpor, but
in addition to musical highlights, the show was kept highly
entertaining by the singer's aw-shucks demeanor and gentle humor,
which ranged from Nixon impressions to the appropriate gesture when
"Free Bird" was requested.
Encores proved the Taylor gene pool to be in fine shape--the singer
brought out his son, Ben, (whose mother is Carly Simon) to share
lead vocals on a pass at Little Feat's song "Dixie Chicken," and the
younger Taylor aced it in a voice as clear and easy as his dad's.
Back when he was a staple of Top 40 radio, singer-songwriter James
Taylor sometimes veered precariously close to becoming a parody of
'70s mellow-folk. But the low-key Taylor has always been a fine
craftsman. And these days it's not mellow nostalgia that accounts
for Taylor's enduring strength as a concert draw, but his talents as
a gifted performer, and an exceptional creator of fine melodies and
quiet insights. On Tuesday, in the first of three shows at the
Universal Amphitheatre, Taylor delivered a generous pair of
not-so-mellow sets packed with warm feelings, good humor and
comfort-fit soul.