Sweet Baby James

This album is getting a lot of (hilarious) hate in the reviews, and I think some of those points are easy to understand. This is a pretty schmaltzy record that's easily digestible for the masses; "mom rock*," I think I read. Doesn't matter to me though.

I love listening to James's finger-picking style, simple and impactful drums, and he's just got such a sweet, easy to listen to voice. He's always been a favorite artist of mine, even if he's not breaking ground. Not every album has to be the cornerstone of a genre; they can just be enjoyable. Art is supposed to make you feel, right? This makes me feel relaxed and happy.

Great album.

*BTW, my Mom also likes James Taylor

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pleasant but dull. Like a lot of people I know!!!

Music for people who say they don't have sex, they make love. Gross.

I like “fire and rain” and I think his voice is pleasant. Here he uses it in service of an incredibly boring album.

I’m not sure when I would ever listen to this. Not sure what mood this sets.

There's a few hidden gems here and there, but overall, it is the same folk nonsense that I've already grown tired of after hearing Bob Dylan. The only difference here is that James Taylor does have a nice singing voice.

it's been 30+ years and I still can't listen to fire and rain all the way through

I didn’t expect to like this. My dad has listened to James Taylor my whole life and I never cared for his unique blend of bittersweet folk rock. However, it’s been years since I’ve heard his music, and I was pleasantly surprised. I liked most of the songs on this album, Steamroller Blues being the big exception. The whitest man in the world did not need to try a blues song, it was painful to listen to. Other than that, when he stuck to what he’s good at, it was enjoyable. I won’t probably go out of my way to listen to it again, but if it’s on I wouldn’t turn it off either.

Yachty-aughty-dope-alicious.

I've long been a "hater" of James Taylor. Most of his work from the mid-70's onward is borderline unlistenable to me. His 1985 album in particular, That's Why I'm Here, is one of the worst albums I've ever had the misfortune of being subjected to against my will. The guy is just so fucking *vanilla*. And that's not untrue on this album, either. I mean, does anyone believe him when he says he's a "churning urn of burning funk"? However, the guy is clearly capable of writing some damn good songs, and in this particular stripped-down folky environment, he unfortunately concocts a highly listenable and enjoyable kryptonite to my Haterade. Touché, Mr. Taylor, and a tip of the cap to you.

4/5

November 26, 2024

HL: title track, "Fire and Rain"

Along with the Carpenters' 1970 release, this is gentle pop rock I want to like more than I do. Also like aforementioned Carpenters, has some evergreen hits that makes it hard to argue its relevancy and acclaim

Was ready to dismiss this as I don't like country, but Steamroller had some nice blues/brass.

Was a bit dissappointed in this album. Fire and Rain is a good song and there's a few other good songs like Country Road on here. A lot of the songs I didn't enjoy or found to be very forgettable though. Runtime is short as well and I find this album doesn't really stick out in the sea of 70's singer-songwriters.

You're so James

Boring. Next.

Really good folky rock. The blues songs were a bit jarring, they didn't really mesh with the rest of the album, but they were still good in their own right.

Really nice calming folk music.

Standout tracks: Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain

Pretty good country album

apparently he's hated due to being 70s taylor swift or something? maybe theres a lot of covers on the album? as someone who doesnt know much of the context here, i liked the album and was impressed by some of the songs, did not get why fire and rain was so much more popular than the other songs, imo there's better ones, maybe the lyrics?

anyway, good album!

One of the cousins had a kid named James, and he was always referred to as Sweet Baby James... literally ALL THE TIME, to the point of "was this a joke?" I still don't get it.

This album has always just been OK for me. I’ve never been super into James Taylor. Acoustic or Acoustic/Electric folksy music is usually my thing, but this guy seems so docile. Reading other reviews, I think the “sappy” and “sugary” criticisms are fair and probably the biggest knock against it for me.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still a three, but if Cat Stevens did this album, it probably would’ve gotten a five.