James Taylor at Church Road Winery: 5 Feb 2017 – Review

Happy 69th Birthday to James Taylor! To celebrate, here is my review of JT’s concert here in Hawke’s Bay, which was printed in February, for my column in Napier Courier & Hastings Leader.

With a remarkable musical career that has spanned six decades, singer/songwriter James Taylor played his one and only concert in Hawke’s Bay on Sunday evening. It was a warm, joyful evening in every way, as the humble 68-year-old shared his heartfelt songs with the very appreciative audience at Church Road Winery.

JT is a relaxed and jovial spirit on stage, his voice as rich and strong as ever, his guitar playing dexterous and as clear as the sky above. Taylor generously gave the people everything they could have wanted from him at a concert, providing all the hits and even mingling with the crowd after the gig. His performance gave no indication that he must have played his most popular numbers countless times over the years — masterpieces such as “Sweet Baby James”, “Fire and Rain”, “Carolina On My Mind”… they all sounded as fresh and inviting as they were when he first recorded them. Two Carole King compositions were included; ”Up On The Roof” and the emotional “You’ve Got a Friend”, which had everybody singing along. The first rate band of fine musicians and harmony singers kicked into gear and brought the show to a close with rousing renditions of “Knock on Wood” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)”. The very moving “Shed a Little Light” left all with hope in their hearts and smiles on their faces.