James Taylor will take on the Great American Songbook on the singer’s upcoming album American Standard, due out February 28th. The LP is Taylor’s first since 2015’s Before This World and 19th overall.
“I’ve always had songs I grew up with that I remember really well, that were part of the family record collection — and I had a sense of how to approach, so it was a natural to put American Standard together,” Taylor said in a statement. “I know most of these songs from the original cast recordings of the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, including My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, Carousel, Showboat and others.”
Taylor also unveiled the first single from American Standard, a take on the Gene De Paul-Sammy Chan jazz classic “Teach Me Tonight,” previously popularized by Dinah Washington and Frank Sinatra.
Taylor added, “In terms of how they were performed and recorded before, we paid attention to the chords and melody, but we were interested in doing something new, and in bringing something new to it, we’ve reinterpreted the songs, that’s what makes it worth doing.”
The album also features Taylor’s version of standards like “My Blue Heaven,” “Moon River” and “Pennies From Heaven,” as well as a trio of tracks penned by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Taylor will also embark on a North American tour this summer alongside Jackson Browne, with the singer/songwriters performing in arenas and amphitheaters starting May 15th in New Orleans to July 10th in Camden, New Jersey. Along the way, Taylor will also play a one-off stadium gig at Boston’s Fenway Park with special guests Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin.
American Standard Tracklist
1. My Blue Heaven (Walter Donaldson-George A. Whiting)
2. Moon River (Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer)
3. Teach Me Tonight (Gene De Paul-Sammy Cahn)
4. As Easy As Rolling Off A Log (M.K. Jerome-Jack Scholl)
5. Almost Like Being In Love (Frederick Loewe-Alan Jay Lerner)
6. Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ The Boat (Frank Loesser)
7. The Nearness Of You (Hoagy Carmichael-Ned Washington)
8. You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II)
9. God Bless The Child (Billie Holiday-Arthur Herzog Jr.)
10. Pennies From Heaven (Arthur Johnston-Johnny Burke)
11. My Heart Stood Still (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart)
12. Ol’ Man River (Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II)
13. It’s Only A Paper Moon (Harold Arlen-Yip Hardburg-Billy Rose)
14. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II)
James Taylor and Jackson Browne Tour Dates
May 15 – New Orleans LA @ Smoothie King Center
May 16 – Houston TX @ Toyota Center
May 18 – Ft. Worth TX @ Dickies Arena
May 21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
May 22 – Boise, ID @ ExtraMile Arena
May 24 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
May 25 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
May 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
May 28 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
May 29 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
June 10 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
June 12 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
June 13 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Center
June 15 – Dayton, OH @ Nutter Center
June 16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
June 18 – Hershey, PA @ Giant Center
June 19 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 21 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park*
June 23 – Roanoke, VA @ Berglund Center Coliseum
June 24 – Charleston, WV @ Charleston Coliseum
June 26 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
June 27 – Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum
June 29 – Atlanta, GA @ Infinite Energy Center
June 30 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
July 4 – Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood **
July 7 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 8 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health @ Jones Beach Theater
July 10 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Center
*with Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin, no Browne
** only Taylor