I neither love nor hate Mr. Taylor as much as so many others here. His talent and ~ especially ~ his staying power are quite admirable. I can't deny that he has a tendency to make everything he does sound and feel about the same as everything else he does; but I can't deny that he produces a pretty excellent sound and feel!

I think he's trying to branch out and deliver a more varied repertoire. That strange rap-though-a-megaphone number he performed on national TV one morning last week represented such an effort.

Count me among those who find JT's slowed-down reworkings of "Handy Man" and "Up on the Roof" to be far less appealing than the livlier originals. When I was a kid, that wildly manic falsetto "come-a-come-a-come-a" refrain of "Handyman" was a real revelation, and I've loved that recording ever since. (Anyone remember the artist's name? Jimmy Jones or something like that? I think he came out with a much-too-similar follow-up record and then faded back into obscurity.) James Taylor's toned-way-down version was certainly interesting to hear ~ once ~ but hardly qualifies as an improvement upon the original, nor even (to my mind) as an equally-valid reinterpretation.

And the Coasters, of course, are even harder to improve upon. "Up On The Roof" is a great song, and fun to sing; I enjoy doing it myself. But then, I'm not trying to sell a record of my (solo vocal/no harmony) cover version.

On the other hand, I do kinda like JT's recording of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)." It's not that much different from Marvin Gaye's original, but that's a good thing; it's a good vehicle for Taylor's voice and personality and stands up well enough next to Marvin's recording as an alternative take on the song. (Another reason I'm judging JT's cover of this song so leniently may be that I am pleased to have found some really good chords for it in a friend's James Taylor songbook...)