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YO this is @grandson . How are you? Today I’ll be taking you on the journey of hopelessness and redemption that is the 1970 classic Sweet Baby James by @JamesTaylor_com . Light one, press play, let’s get into it. 
For context- this album was made in 1970, this guy is 22 years old, in and out of mental health facilities struggling with a nasty heroin addiction. He made the album for just 7600 fucking dollars. He takes the Dylan singer songwriter thing and adds blues, country and soul to it.
First song. Title track. Lonely country boy who dreams of getting out of here. It’s a lullaby. Right away the acoustic chops are just...next level. Nobody was doing that finger picking at this tempo with this kind of storytelling. The specificity, the details. Minimal production.
Tbh it’s the blues and soul stuff that really hooked me. James Taylor, Bill withers and Ray Charles.
This is the one. Track 2. Lo and Behold. The first time the chorus harmonies came around on this song I was 12 and I was just like...wow. This is what I want to do. I can’t tell you how many times I tried to cover or remix this. Never did it justice.
Lot of angelologic themes, talk of jesus. As a Jewish kid in Toronto that stuff didn’t resonate with me. Didn’t care. Acoustic blues. Pentatonic fucking blues. Heavy feeling contrasted with delicate instrumental sections. Fuck. This is it man.
Sunny skies is track 3. I spent so long listening to this to get my day started. It’s so easy to listen to. One day I was like “wait. What is this song even about?” And I googled it and it’s the story of his battle with heroin, being a strung out junkie. The context is powerful
It is that contrast, this heavy subject matter but against light music, that made this album so much more meaningful as I got older and battled my own mental health problems. I didn’t want to bring anybody else down with me.
“Wondering if where I’ve been is worth the things I’ve been through...ending with a friend named sunny skies.”
Steamroller is track 4 and for some reason...I hate this song. It’s so random. It’s just TOO blues, it’s electric, what is it doing here? It’s like a straight muddy waters blues song in the middle of MY sweet acoustic album. Then it gets big clean brass. I just don’t get it.
If I could meet James Taylor one day I’d be like. James. Big fan. Huge. But. What the fuck is with steamroller? Idk I’m overthinking it but I just can’t get into this one personally.
