'Covers'

James Taylor's eighteenth album, Covers, was recorded over 10 snowy days in January 2008, at a converted barn in Washington, Massachusetts. As the title suggests, it is an album of cover songs, which was perhaps inevitable since over the years James had frequently peppered his LPs with pop and R&B tunes that fit his fancy. The album was recorded primarily with his touring band, which since the recording of October Road in 2002, had added fiddle player and singer Andrea Zonn. The album was released on September 30, 2008, on the label, Hear Music.

The album opens with the Smokey Robinson-Pete Moore classic "It's Growing" originally performed by the Temptations. Here James takes it like a slow jam. What's impressive here is the backing vocals by Kate Markowitz, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller, and Zonn. This group appears regularly through the album and never fails to impress.

A drum flourish from Steve Gadd announces the beginning of the next track, "(I'm A) Road Runner" another Motown song, was written by Edward Holland Jr, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland. The song was originally performed by Junior Walker and the All-Stars. If the song lacks the kick that Walker gave it, it smokes all the same.

Up next is "Wichita Lineman," originally performed in a classic version by Glenn Campbell. The songwriter is Jimmy Webb, who was inspired to write the song while driving through southwest Oklahoma. Campbell set the bar awfully high on this recent standard, and while this is a pretty by-the-books cover, it's driven by Larry Goldings' piano with sweetening by Michael Landau's guitar and Andrea Zonn's fiddle.

The next track shows that there'll be no shortage of country on the album. "Why Baby, Why" written by Darrell Edwards and George Jones and originally performed by Jones, long a favorite of Taylor's. The version here is driven by Andrea Zonn's fiddle with Steve Gadd using brushes on the drums

The country streak continues with the brief but upbeat "Some Days You Gotta Dance," written by Troy Johnson and Marshall Morgan and was originally recorded by the (Dixie) Chicks. Mike Landau gets an electric guitar workout on this one, with Zonn's fiddle again adding flavor.

"Seminole Wind" was originally written and performed by country musician John Anderson in 1992 on his album of the same name. A workmanlike ballad, the song is yet another showcase for Andrea Zonn's country fiddle.

Headed North and more in a folk vein "Suzanne" was originally written and performed by Leonard Cohen in 1966. Judy Collins recorded a version that same year. Before the song "Hallelujah" was added to the movie Shrek, this was the most frequently covered Cohen song. James's version features his own acoustic guitar, ably augmented by Larry Goldings on piano and Andrea Zonn on fiddle.

In a switch back to R&B, "Hound Dog" is a song by the legendary songwriting team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton in 1952, although the best known version is by Elvis Presley in 1956. James' version is significantly slower than Elvis's version, and is overall more in the spirit of the original recording, though the vocal timber is very different with James and his backing singers going doo wop. The musical backing on the song is strong, with Luis Conte on timbales and cowbell, Steve Gadd using brushes on the drums, and Lou Marini and Walt Fowler adding brass. The song features an organ solo by Larry Goldings and an electric guitar solo by Michael Landau.

The brass of Marini and Fowler announce the beginning of "Sadie," written by Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes and Charles Simmons and originally recorded by the Spinners. This is one of the least obvious choices for the album, but James pulls it off surprisingly well.

Next is "On Broadway," once again written by Lieber and Stoller along with the equally legendary songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. It was originally recorded by The Drifters in 1963 (and later was recorded by James's brother Livingston). James' version features the horn section of Lou Marini and Walt Fowler. The main melody is acoustic guitar, with Luis Conte's congas and Steve Gadd using brushes on the drums adding color to the song.

The oft-covered "Summertime Blues" is next; those who recall a time before The Who recall that it was originally performed by Eddie Cochran, who wrote it with his manager Jerry Capehart. James's version is very upbeat with prominent horns by Fowler and Marini and percussion by Luis Conte.

The album closes with another frequently covered classic: "Not Fade Away" written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty, which was originally performed by Holly and later was a hit by the Rolling Stones. James had actually been performing the song in concert for many years prior to recording this album including on the DVD, Live At The Beacon Theater.

The album was modestly successful and earned James two Grammy Award nominations. It also was followed a few months later (in April 2009) by an album called Other Covers, an EP with seven outtakes from the Covers sessions and mostly followed the same formula. The tracks of note on this EP included the American Songbook standard "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," presaging his 2020 album, American Standard, and a cover of Tom Waits' "Shiver Me Timbers." The other tracks were one folk standard ("Wasn't That a Mighty Storm") and four additional R&B standards.

One could surmise that the impetus for the album was at least in part a case of writer's block on Taylor's part: it would be seven years before his next (and still most recent) album of original music, 2015's Before This World. In fact, over the entirety of the 21st century to date, Taylor has done twice as many cover albums (if you include his 2006 Christmas album) as albums of original material. But Before This World would be worth the wait.