James Taylor At Christmas

I'm listening to James Taylor's Album: "James Taylor At Christmas." It's pretty good. I like James Taylor. I really enjoy his version of "Go Tell It On The Mountain."

I really like the way the piano was recorded on this Album. It sounds really crisp, a lot like James guitar. I heard that James Taylor uses the same guitars that Phil Keaggy uses. They have such a great sound. I think they're Olsen guitars. I guess they should sound good for the price tag.

The nice thing about this album is it really sets a mood. It was very well produced. Some album are a hodge podge of styles and types, but James knows his idiom and stuck with it. Each one of the classic songs are rendered in a way in which it sounds like something he wrote himself.

I think my other favorite song on the album is "In the Bleak Midwinter." I've seen this song in hymnbooks and Christmas songbooks, but never heard it before. I don't know if this is how it usually goes, but I really like it. It's got such a pretty melody. The simple string arrangement in the background along with James' guitar and the simple percussion make it a highlight of the album. I love the line "Heaven cannot hold him, nor can earth sustain, heaven and earth shall fall away when He comes to reign." It reminds me of the passage in the Bible: "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away."

If you don't have it, it is a great Christmas album to have in your collection.

God Bless,

Willy