James Taylor is that rarest of creatures -- an unpretentious superstar. The 59-year-old iconic singer and songwriter, originally from North Carolina, presented his so-called "One Man Band" show at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA during July 2007 with such effortless charm that it was as if he were sitting around the fireside at home, talking with a bunch of old friends. But the ease with which he put it all across belied the rigorous attention to detail and sheer craft that went into the making of this delightful show.
Larry Goldings, who accompanies Taylor on piano, organ, synth, harmonium and melodica, is a one-man band. He has developed a following in the jazz world for his own compositions and recordings, as well as his live performance.
James Taylor sang some of his most beloved recordings, interspersing them with his insightful and humorous anecdotes on the inspiration for the songs.
He and Larry together serve up a full menu of Taylor's work over the past 40 years, from "Something in the Way She Moves" (the song which won him his first contract with the Beatles' Apple Records in 1968) right up to "Mean Old Man" and "My Travelling Star" from his most-recent release October Road.
An illustrated voyage around Taylor's life and times, the show begins with him alone, singing the gentle melody and picking out the lilting chord sequence of "Something in the Way She Moves", one of the first songs that he wrote.
Joined on stage (and on the record) by the piano player Larry Goldings, he moves on to another of his early songs, "Never Die Young".
.."That's always good advice", he told the audience. "But far too late for me, of course"...
On this 19-song set -- which marks a return to an earlier, simpler style of performance for the perennial, quintessential singer-songwriter -- Taylor sings with a touch that is nothing short of perfection.
You will enjoy some of his biggest hits "Sweet Baby James", "Carolina in my Mind" and "Fire and Rain" and the gentle, life-affirming mood of the album will continue to resonate long after your listening.
This isn't an album for fans of shoot-outs and car chases, as you might expect from a man who sings: "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time".
The album's highlights : "Carolina On My mind", "Chili Dog", "Something in The Way She Moves" and "You've Got a Friend".
All in all, this is an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind portrait of an artist, his renowned repertoire and the personal stories behind the songs.
Enjoy!
One Man Dog
The Best of James Taylor
James Taylor - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
James Taylor (Live)

I thought it was a new cd with newly written songs, but it was all the good old ones that I have already. But by all means: great songs if You do not have them in your collection:)

These live versions of old songs, unplugged so to speak are a worthy addition to any fans collection. However, its territory that was all covered a long time ago, thus the three stars.

I picked up the "One Man Band" CD/DVD today. Having seen this show in Atlanta last year, I was looking forward to reliving the experience, and I was not disappointed. The DVD presents a wonderfully warm and intimate evening, with great stories and even greater songs. It's very much like having an old friend over, trading stories and memories.

And wait 'til you check out the first entry in the Outtakes on the DVD. It's priceless, and I was laughing out loud!

Oh, and James...I forgive you for the "Yankees suck" comment!

Thanks for all the years and all the great songs.

I was a little doubtful of the "One Man Band" concept, having previously found various "unplugged" albums to be fairly boring, even by artists whose music I normally love. Fortunately, this concert was not truly "one man," with Taylor being accompanied throughout by pianist Larry Goldings, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and even a drum machine on occasion! But the main focus is on James and his guitar, and these many wonderful songs he has written. The description of One Man Band by another customer as merely a greatest hits CD is not entirely accurate. There are several lesser known works in the set, and the complete song list spans his entire career, not just the "glory days." The man's singing is superb here - his expressiveness, emotion and tone are all really good. In fact, he sings better here than when I saw him in concert. A couple of the real highlights for me were "Shower the People," which uses the backing chorus to full effect, and "You Can Close Your Eyes," the final encore number. The album almost never lets the listener down; a sluggish "Fire and Rain" being a notable exception.

The DVD is much better than the CD in terms of entertainment value, not just for the obvious reason (visuals!), but also because of the added JT narration and dialogue. I do understand this particular CD/DVD packaging idea - "one for the car," which is in fact where I first listened to it. The concept has been used several other times before with live albums (ex., Fleetwood Mac). I just wish it wasn't the same exact concert both places - all the same songs, no more or less. Couldn't they have gotten a different concert from the same tour for the CD?

Kudos for Starbucks / Hear Music, though. They seem to have become THE Baby Boomer record label lately!