Return of The 70's Singer-Songwriters

If you grew up in the 70's you could get your yearly fix of singer-songwriter glory with a new album by Jackson Browne or James Taylor. To be young and prolific. Now punching 60, neither one have felt compelled to release new material. In fact 2002 was the last time they put out new albums. In that time Taylor and Browne revisited their catalog with mostly acoustic records. Browne's first album in 6 years, Time The Conqueror, is dominated by the political stuff. Katrina, presidents, wars. It's all well-intentioned, but Browne rarely sounds inspired, which is strange coming from a man who has a lot on his mind.

I've often wondered why James Taylor never released a compilation of his covers. He's dropped enough of them on his albums to fill up a CD. So, one shouldn't be surprised that he would go the cover route, like many other artists, with his new album cleverly called Covers. Unlike Browne, Taylor has retained a goofy sense of humor as he's gotten older. There's a slyness to his covers of that will either endear you or if you're a purist revolt you. Taylor has always done that to people. But I've never been turned off by his purism. That said I don't need to hear another version of "Wichita Lineman" or "Hound Dog", but Taylor does right by throwing 2 oddball choices: John Anderson's "Seminole Wind" and the Spinners "Sadie". More choices like that would've made for a better album. Which might be why the recent Glen Campbell cover album is better than Taylor's.