James Taylor – Sweet Baby James (180g LP)

“…This is easily the best sounding edition of this record that I’ve heard yet. It’s warm, yet detailed, three dimensional and harmonically full. Taylor’s vocals are cleanly rendered as are the sibilants. Finally a clean ‘Steamroller’!…No doubt you can find cheap originals but none will approach the rich and detailed, three dimensional sound of this reissue…A superb reissue in every way that’s simply meant to be heard on AAA vinyl. Don’t miss it!”
Music = 10/11; Sound = 10/11
– Michael Fremer, Music Angle, www.musicangle.com

Though James Taylor’s self-titled debut introduced his mellow melodicism and affecting song craft, Sweet Baby James was the album that rocketed him to national recognition. With Sweet Baby James, Taylor abandoned the slightly psychedelic structural ambition of his first record and settled fully into the folk and country styles to which he is best suited. The Top Ten hit “Fire and Rain,” for instance, a deeply personal story-song based on the artist’s experiences in mental hospitals and the suicide of a friend, is built around Taylor’s gentle, understated voice, acoustic guitar, cello, piano and drums. Sweet Baby James is Taylor’s definitive statement and one of the most influential albums in the singer-songwriter genre.
Mastered from the original analog tapes.