James Taylor: The Essential Album-by-Album Guide

SWEET BABY JAMES (1970)
Key Tracks: "Fire and Rain," "Steamroller Blues"
Quick Take:Sweet Baby James, Taylor's landmark second release, heralds the arrival of pop music's sensitive phase. "Fire and Rain" epitomizes the singer/songwriter stance: acoustic-based autobiography, where the arresting musical sparseness casts Taylor's gentle melodies and warm, unassuming vocals in full relief. On "Steamroller Blues," he effectively mocks the straining pomposity of then-current white bluesmen — though Taylor became entrapped by his own laid-back image soon enough.