I'm feeling
a bit green today
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It’s some
five years since James Taylor made the music industry sit up and
take notice with the release of Hourglass, a major album reflected
in the fact it won him a Grammy Award.
Nigel Bell
It’s somewhat
of a disappointment, therefore, that October Road doesn’t offer
more than a series of well crafted songs.
Given the wait
one would have expected something out of the ordinary.
Sadly there’s
nothing that comes close to the magnificent Gaia or Line ‘Em Up
from the Hourglass collection.
That said,
opener September Grass, is pleasant enough and the title track has
a nice squiggle of fiddle.
Somehow though,
it all sounds too familiar.
Yes, there is
the James Taylor sound, but he’s shown he can go that extra yard
and write songs that offer just that little bit more.
You don’t get
that impression with October Road although On The 4th of July comes
close…ish.
James Taylor
has obviously recognised the style which carried Hourglass to such
great rewards.
He’s tried to
replicate the formula on October Road. But even on tracks like Belfast
to Boston (with corny Irish pipe accompaniment) , it all sounds
flat compared to the earlier release.
And the inclusion
of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas suggests a man devoid
of ideas and begs the question, why release this album in the middle
of summer?
October Road
is released on Columbia XPCD2716
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