James Taylor finally returns with laid-back ‘Before This World’

James Taylor has taken his sweet time to make a new album of original material and for his fans, Before This World will certainly feel worth the wait. Despite only featuring 10 tracks, Taylor’s first ever No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 is sure to satisfy anyone who has been listening to his work for nearly 50 years.

Before This World finds Taylor in a nostalgic mood again, seven years after his Covers album and 13 years after his excellent October Road. He’s still mixing rock with folk as if he never got the memo that even some of his contemporaries have moved beyond that.

But we should all be thankful for that. He’s the only singer/songwriter whose voice still feels as fresh as it did in the ‘70s. It’s silly to expect someone to make work like they did 45 years ago, but Taylor does that and it doesn’t feel like someone yearning to be young again. He’s figured out this music business since he cut his first side and Before This World is all about that. At once, he sings about his early days in the music industry in “Today Today Today,” but he’s also fit his style to a song about serving in Afghanistan with “Far Afghanistan.”

Taylor and producer Dave O’Donnell are also still interested in experimenting new paths to take folk. “Far Afghanistan” features a shenhai, while Yo-Yo Ma adds some classical flavor to “You And I Again” and “Before This World/Jolly Springtime.” “Stretch of the Highway” is the rock/blues detour he takes once a record, going back to “Steamroller.” “Watchin’ Over Me” is a slick track that could have been a hit single in the ‘70s.

If there’s one dud on the album, it’s the sweeter-than-sugar that is “Angels of Fenway.” Even as a Red Sox fan, it can make you squirm. It hits the nail on the head a bit too hard. He should have just released this as some charity single or something and left it off the album.

The other nine tracks can make you forget about that one. Before This World is a relaxing record overall and the perfect type of record for Taylor. When his new version of “Wild Mountain Thyme” comes to an end, you’re going to want to go back to “Today Today Today.”