James Taylor - Sweet Baby James (2013) [Hi-Res]

James Taylor's second album, Sweet Baby James, released in early 1970, is the album that secured his spot among the most important songwriters of the 70s. The sweet, bluesy acoustic guitar and vocals on this album are authentic and interesting - this is a record that has everything from a blues inspired jam, packed with a big band horn section ('Steamroller Blues'); to a gospel revival-like track ('Lo And Behold'); to a traditional nursery rhyme made into a folk ballad ('Oh, Susannah'). And, of course, the album featured 'Fire and Rain,' which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'Country Road' was another Top 40 hit that struck a chord with music fans, especially because of its attractive mixture of folk, country, gospel, and blues elements, all of them carefully understated and distanced.

While Taylor gets help from some friends such as Carole King (piano) and future Eagles bassist Randy Meisner, its his stellar songwriting and heartfelt vocals that shot this album to #3 on the Billboard Album Charts and earned a 1971 Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. This recording launched not only Taylor's career - he's won more than 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards as well as five GRAMMY® Awards and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame - but also propelled the entire singer/songwriter movement of the early '70s that included Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, and others.

'The album that launched a thousand heavy-hearted singer-songwriters on their not-so-merry way, Sweet Baby James was arguably the first shot in what became the soft revolution of the early '70s. A refugee of the Beatles' Apple label, Taylor struck commercial gold with Sweet Baby James by augmenting his acoustic guitar and soothing vocals with laid-back accompaniment (which included equally influential singer-songwriter insurrectionist Carole King on piano) and penning a slew of songs that drew upon folk, soul, and rock influences. 'Fire and Rain' stands as the quintessential early Taylor tune: musically mellow and lyrically restive, it put Taylor in the Top 10 and set the tone for a popular school of '70s sound.' (Steven Stolder)

'It is impossible to appreciate the music of this generation without this album... an incredible adventure of masterful songwriting.'

Digitally remastered

The triple-platinum album that spawned James' first top 10 hit, the intensely personal 'Fire and Rain'.
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time # 104/500