American Standard (James Taylor album)
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ReleasedFebruary 28, 2020
StudioThe Barn (Washington, MA)
United Recording Studios and Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA)
Treasure Isle Studios and Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN)
Studio D (New York City, New York)
United Recording Studios and Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA)
Treasure Isle Studios and Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN)
Studio D (New York City, New York)
Length44:59
| American Standard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 28, 2020 | |||
| Studio | The Barn (Washington, MA) United Recording Studios and Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA) Treasure Isle Studios and Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN) Studio D (New York City, New York) | |||
| Length | 44:59 | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Producer |
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| James Taylor chronology | ||||
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American Standard is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, released on February 28, 2020, by Fantasy Records.[1] It consists of his interpretations of standard songs from the American canon. It won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[2]
This album was produced, recorded and mixed by Dave O'Donnell and co-produced by John Pizzarelli and James Taylor. Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound Nashville.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 60/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| The Independent | [5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| PopMatters | [7] |
| Uncut | [8] |
American Standard received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 60, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 8 reviews.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Blue Heaven" | Walter Donaldson, George A. Whiting | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Moon River" | Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Teach Me Tonight" | Gene de Paul, Sammy Cahn | 2:58 |
| 4. | "As Easy as Rolling Off a Log" | M.K. Jerome, Jack Scholl | 2:50 |
| 5. | "Almost Like Being in Love" | Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner | 3:42 |
| 6. | "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" | Frank Loesser | 4:11 |
| 7. | "The Nearness of You" | Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington | 3:52 |
| 8. | "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" | Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II | 2:26 |
| 9. | "God Bless the Child" | Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog Jr. | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Pennies from Heaven" | Arthur Johnston, Johnny Burke | 2:52 |
| 11. | "My Heart Stood Still" | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | 3:27 |
| 12. | "Ol' Man River" | Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II | 2:53 |
| 13. | "It's Only a Paper Moon" | Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Billy Rose | 3:11 |
| 14. | "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" | Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 44:59 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" | Loewe, Lerner | 2:15 |
| 16. | "Never Never Land" | Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green | 3:22 |
| Total length: | 50:42 | ||
Over the Rainbow: The American Standard EP
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" | Loewe, Lerner | 2:15 |
| 2. | "Never Never Land" | Styne, Comden, Green | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Over the Rainbow" | Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 8:45 | ||
Album credits
Musicians
- James Taylor – vocals, guitar
- Larry Goldings – keyboards, piano, Hammond B3 organ
- John Pizzarelli – guitars, 7-string nylon guitar
- Jerry Douglas – dobro
- Jimmy Johnson – bass
- Michael Landau – guitars
- Viktor Krauss – upright bass
- Steve Gadd – drums[11]
- Luis Conte – percussion
- Lou Marini – saxophones, flute, clarinet
- Walt Fowler – trumpets, flugelhorn
- Stuart Duncan – violin
- Andrea Zonn – violin, vocals
- Dorian Holley – vocals
- Kate Markowitz – vocals
- Arnold McCuller – vocals
- Caroline Taylor – vocals (14)
Production
- James Taylor – producer
- John Pizzarelli – producer
- Dave O'Donnell – producer, engineer, mixing
- Sean Badum – assistant engineer
- Brandon Epps – assistant engineer
- Chandler Harrod – assistant engineer
- Tyler Hartman – assistant engineer
- Jimmy Johnson – assistant engineer
- Robbie Kapoor – assistant engineer
- Rick Kwan – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (Nashville, TN)
- Justin Shturtz – mastering assistant
- Ryan Smith – additional mastering for vinyl at Sterling Sound
- JoAnn Tominaga – production coordinator
- Norman Seeff – front cover photography
- Ellyn Kusmin – back cover and booklet photography, personal assistant, director of studio operations
- Carrie Smith – art direction, design
