James Taylor's 1969 debut was one of the first releases on the Beatles' Apple label. Though nearly capsized by heavy-handed orchestration, it was an eye-opening collection of songs. 

 Sweet Baby James, Taylor's landmark second release, heralded the arrival of pop music's sensitive phase. "Fire and Rain" epitomizes the singer/songwriter stance: acoustic-based autobiography, with arresting musical sparseness. 

 Mud Slide Slim cemented Taylor's superstar status. But the hit reading of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" drops some strong hints about the inherent flaccidity of this mellow troubadour approach that the rest of the album doesn't heed. 

 Taylor spent the next few years casting around for a broader-based sound; One Man Dog is so wispy it nearly evaporates. 

 Walking Man sums up the confusion of this period with its near-stationary title track. 

 Gorilla is where Taylor regained his balance. "Mexico" introduces a welcome strain of humor, the title track is a natural children's song, and "You Make It Easy" positions Sweet Baby James as a posthippie torch singer. 

 Greatest Hits is a fizzy delight–and a good place for the uninitiated to start.  

 Apart from the sturdy "Shower the People," In the Pocket misses the mark.  

 As so often happens with first efforts for new labels, JT ranks right up there with his best. Taylor reached back for another upbeat pop classic to tenderize, and nails down "Handyman" with his most insinuating vocal performance ever. 

 Flag turned out to be a verb rather than a noun. 

 Dad Loves His Work finds JT back on the beam. It was led by the gently incisive divorce song "Her Town Too," among his finest pieces of writing and his last hit single.  

 Late-Eighties albums That's Why I'm Here and Never Die Young offer little beyond pleasantry.  

 Late-Eighties albums That's Why I'm Here and Never Die Young offer little beyond pleasantry.  

 Instead of fading into the sunset, though, Taylor reemerged in 1991 with New Moon Shine, his most focused and tuneful release in more than 10 years. 

 Taylor settled comfortably into his 1990s role as an elder statesman of song. (Live) ably commemorates the warmth of his relationship with his audiences, though ultimately it can't escape souvenir status.  

 Both Hourglass and October Road are brimming with the acceptance and grace that Taylor's younger self–frequently referenced here lyrically and melodically–often had trouble locating. 

 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 may lack the chart firepower of its predecessor, but strongly rebuts the notion that there are no second acts in American creative life.  

 Both Hourglass and October Road are brimming with the acceptance and grace that Taylor's younger self–requently referenced here lyrically and melodically–often had trouble locating. 

 The 20-song Best of James Taylor is the first career-spanning domestic collection–it's a good introduction to Taylor's catalogue, but in his quiet, easygoing way, James Taylor has amassed too great a legacy to be adequately represented. 

 One Man Band is a solid live CD-DVD set recorded near Taylor's home in the Berkshires; it presents on some of his best-known cuts–Fire and Rain," "Sweet Baby James"–in a stripped-down acoustic setting.  

 On Covers, Taylor delivered intimate, laid-back performances (often backed by a full band) of a range of classics, including Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne."