Posts Tagged James Taylor
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April 12, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
RNZ Reviews: April 2020
Once a month or so I have a chat on RNZ on their Afternoons show with Jesse Mulligan. These things start – randomly and stop in much the same way. I hope to keep doing this. For a while at least. I think I started in December of 2015, so now four years into it or so… I […]Archive
March 18, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
James Taylor: Break Shot – My First 21 Years
James Taylor Break Shot: My First 21 Years Audible Originals It seems Audible (Amazon) is battling against Spotify and every other podcast platform – so they’re introducing original content that isn’t just 39 hours of a book being read by a BBC-grade thespian. There are now scripted fiction podcast and documentary podcast series’ exclusive to […]Archive
March 14, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: We Won’t Make It Any Other Way
Some of my best friends have been songs – walking home on stormy nights, to a house alone back when you didn’t have music on your phone – I’d duck into a bus stop to change batteries (or the CDs) on the Discman. And I had no idea where I was going – but the […]Archive
March 1, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
James Taylor: American Standard
James Taylor American Standard Fantasy Though James Taylor is no stranger to offering covers, and has even offered themed albums of interpretations before (two Christmas albums) he’s never sounded quite as joyless and muted as he does here on his half-strength run through some musical-theatre showstoppers and other canonical American standards.Archive
April 22, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
V/A: Joni 75 – A Birthday Celebration
Various Artists: Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration Decca Like most tributes – and as all tributes should be I guess – Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration is most certainly well-meaning. And for the most part it gets the tick. Of course it’s a little safe, focussing, as it does, on the most mainstream success (1971-1974) of Joni’s output…but there are little glimpses of utter magic, […]Archive
December 31, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
The Best Gigs Of The Year: The Top 10 Gigs I Reviewed in 2017
Every year I see some great shows – and 2017 offered up plenty. There were loads of great shows I missed (Paul McCartney – though I saw him in 1993 at least) and others that someone else will tell you was the best where I thought it was fucking absurd (Future Islands). Still, all up, […]Archive
July 17, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Courtney Marie Andrews: Honest Life
Courtney Marie Andrews Honest Life Fat Possum It’s forever a case of break out the comparisons when writing about female singer/songwriters – I’m guilty of it, as well as being critical of it – but sometimes those comparisons stand up and usually they’re meant as a compliment; to that end it’s impossible not to hear […]Archive
February 28, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Revisiting Tapestry: Carole King’s Masterpiece
In 1995 there was a Carole King tribute album, Tapestry Revisited. I never listened to it – truth be told I’ve never really liked the tribute album where a classic record is interpreted by a bunch of people, as well meaning as it probably is I just don’t like the concept. And when you have […]Archive
February 9, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: James Taylor (February 5, Napier)
James Taylor Church Road Winery, Napier Sunday, February 5 If there was ever any doubt this was a perfect combination of singer and setting it was quashed as soon as James Taylor bounded onto the stage and praised the venue and bright blue sky a handful of times in and around the opening numbers. James […]Archive
August 9, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
James Taylor: Before This World
James Taylor Before This World Concord I’ve listened to the new James Taylor album far more than I probably imagined I ever would – and I’m a fan. I think he gets a hard time from people that know just a small handful of his songs; it’s easy to dismiss him as some folkish dad-rock […]Archive
May 20, 2015 by Simon Sweetman