4Play

Dec. 14, 2008

James Taylor - Covers - Hear Music
Taylor’s core of fans will love this set, as the troubadour offers up his takes on a whole album’s worth of classic songs that he’s performed live over the years, but has never released in recorded form. It’s informally recorded, fairly uncomplicated in tone; but then these are uncomplicated songs that Taylor performs in his poised and clean fashion. On “Suzanne,” he shares the focus with cellist Yo Yo Ma, while elsewhere throughout the set, he reinterprets some of the hits of the likes of Leonard Cohen, Buddy Holly, and the Dixie Chicks, all quite well; it does seem a little short for a covers album, but perhaps Taylor fans will simply be graced sooner rather than later with Covers Vol. 2.


Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain - RCA Victor
Combining his familiar soulful sound with more traditional folk instrumentation, LaMontagne brings banjos and harps in to accompany his guitar and vocals, making this both a progression of growth for the artist and another collection of hearty yet carefully-sung numbers. On the ballad side of things, “Let It Be Me” and “I Still Care For You” are the standouts, while LaMontagne brings in the rhythm on the more upbeat tunes, such as the clamorous “Henry Nearly Killed Me (It’s a Shame),” the somewhat strange “Meg White,” which echoes the simplistic drumbeat of the subject matter, and the opener, “You Are the Best Thing,” complete with horn section.


Joshua Radin - Simple Times - M&P Music
Upping the production to enhance his often Dylan-esque song structures, Radin’s sophomore album sticks to his formula, but also adds more levels to it, which makes a nice framework for his smooth, ‘70s-like vocal stylings. He also experiments with duets on this set, which surface on perhaps a third of the songs here. Highlights: “One of Those Days” and “I’d Rather Be With You” strike one as the kind of song that would sound just as good played completely acousticallywithout the surrounding production, which is the sign of a good tune; Radin has several of these, all on one album.


Sebastien Grainger - Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains - Saddle Creek
Formerly the singer/drummer for Canadian dance-punk duo Death from Above 1979, Grainger’s moved on to showcase his own singer-songwriter talents, although plenty of those dance elements have managed to find their way into his new work. He’s made his vocals the focus, surrounding them with plenty of synth work and, of course, concise drum patterns; “When You Go Out” adds in a tinny xylophone, “Love Can Be So Mean” shakes up a few tambourines next to retro new-wave guitars, and “American Names,” the first single, showcases Grainger’s ability to blend his two projects with ease.