James Taylor, Edinburgh Castle review: 'tinged with drollery'
The legendary singer-songwriter offset the middle of the road vibes at this Castle Concert with his dry sense of humour, writes Fiona Shepherd
James Taylor, Edinburgh Castle ★★★
“It's lovely to be home,” said James Taylor, paying tribute to his Aberdeenshire roots and impishly trying out his Scottish accent. He may not have been entirely serious - almost everything he said at this sold out Castle Concert was tinged with drollery - but this legendary singer/songwriter knows how to create the comfortable environment of home with his easy listening music.
Taylor is a gentleman and a card, slightly offsetting the strictly middle of the road vibes with his sense of humour. He kicked off the set with a handful of songs inspired by his grapples with addiction - because, he quipped, “what's more fun than recovery?” Taylor's voice sounded a little weathered on the Latin-inflected yacht rock number Whenever You're Ready, tempered and supported by his four backing vocalists, Rainy Day Man was a love letter to his dealer, while the Cali samba of T-Bone was accompanied by images of rehab.
Following this “educational portion of the evening”, the polite flourish of pop samba number Mexico seemed to unleash something in the crowd, largely thanks to the virtuosity of trumpeter Walt Fowler and Blues Brothers/SNL/Blood Sweat & Tears alumnus “Blue Lou” Marini on saxophone.
Taylor’s group was billed as his All-Star Band, one presumed because of their industry reputation and connoisseur connections rather than any personal stardust. Taylor was certainly a fan of guitarist Mike Landau, who shredded merrily on the bluesy Steamroller, and vocalist Dorian Holley, who embellished the mellow guidance of Shower the People with lovely soul testifying.
Otherwise, his bandmates were there to serve sensitively. The pure class of Carole King’s You've Got a Friend needed very little adornment apart from the soft backing vocals of the Castle crowd, who were finally propelled to their feet for the sunshine funk of Your Smiling Face and a swaying encore of How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Want the latest Scottish headlines sent directly to your phone? Sign up to our new WhatsApp channel here
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.