James Taylor solid, at times sublime
James Taylor “Before This World”(Concord Records)
Taylor’s new album, “Before This World,” arrives 13 years after his last studio album of original songs. And it does nothing to threaten his legacy.
The 67-year-old has retained his abilities to craft and deliver a song. His simple, elegant acoustic fretwork and supple tenor sound much as they did in his 1970s hit-making heyday. The new collection sounds familiar without being a retread.
“Montana” evokes “Sweet Baby James” in meter, mood and melody. And “SnowTime” will certainly raise comparisons to “Mexico,” though this one’s set in Toronto and he sings about decamping to the United States’ neighbor to the north instead of the south.
Not everything’s a grand-slam: “Angels of Fenway,” a ballad for fans of his beloved Boston team, is by no means a strikeout but is unabashedly homer-ish and the nostalgia gets a bit thick in spots.
Two songs elevate the album from good to great: “Before This World” and “Far Afghanistan.” The first is among the finest of what Taylor calls his “agnostic hymns.” (AP)
Robert Glasper returns to his roots
Robert Glasper/“Covered” (Blue Note)
When keyboardist Robert Glasper released the full-length debut from his project the Experiment in 2012, you could hear the jazz marketplace shifting.
For his latest album, the 37-year-old Glasper has returned to his roots with “Covered,” an acoustic set recorded live at Capitol Studios with the same band from his pre-Experiment days. Mostly made up of covers, the album lets Glasper flex his eclectic taste, covering Jhene Aiko’s “The Worst” and “Stella by Starlight” with equal flair. The pianist gets particularly restless on “In Case You Forgot,” which over 13 tangled minutes winks toward history with a few bars of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”
The jazz connection with Joni Mitchell was established before his lilting cover of “Barangrill,” and while Glasper’s take on “Reckoner” deftly channels the song’s cascading piano riff, Radiohead hasn’t been a revolutionary cover choice for jazz artists since Brad Mehldau was the genre’s next piano star. A nod toward Lamar with the album-closing “I’m Dying of Thirst” soberly reflects the times with children reciting the names of unarmed black lives lost to violence, but it also recalls a piece from his label mate Ambrose Akinmusire’s 2014 album.
Amid so much rewarding yet familiar ground, “Covered” sounds more like a step sideways rather than forward.
Third Eye Blind back with solid album
Third Eye Blind/“Dopamine” (Mega Collider)
It’s been a few years since Stephan Jenkins pulled together some new musicians to call themselves Third Eye Blind. But regardless of what the band was during its megahit heyday and what it is now, Jenkins remains a consistent and capable leader on the latest album, “Dopamine.”
The title track is a catchy reminder of how the power-jangle sounds of Third Eye Blind can catch the ear in all the right ways. The song’s chunky cadence melds perfectly into upbeat moments as Jenkins sings about relationships that turn into addiction more than affinity.
On “All the Souls,” Jenkins hits plenty of high notes as the pace builds, proving he still has plenty of vocal chops. It’s one of the better tracks on a solid album. Whichever incarnation of Third Eye Blind you prefer, and for many it’s the era of the band’s hit “Semi-Charmed Life,” this version is tight and the songwriting is clean and captivating. (AP)
