BOSTONGLOBE.COM – James Taylor announces his next album, ‘American Standard,’ and details of his summer tour
By Grace Griffin
Scenes of snow-covered trees and frosty ground surround James Taylor as he walks through the woods, approaching a cabin. He enters the cozy, wood-paneled abode and sits on a stool, guitar in hand and headphones donned, crooning into a microphone.
The imagery is all part of a trailer for Taylor’s newly-announced album, “American Standard,” set to be released Feb. 28. “American Standard” marks Taylor’s 19th studio album and comes almost five years after the release of his album “Before This World.” The new album will feature 14 classic songs reimagined and adapted to fit Taylor’s stripped-down and guitar-centric style.
“I’ve always had songs that I grew up with that I remember really well that were part of the family record collection,” Taylor said in the trailer. “It was natural to put this project together.”
Taylor also cited the origin of many songs on the album: Broadway original cast recordings from shows such as “Oklahoma!” and “My Fair Lady.” The first song on the album, “Teach Me Tonight,” has already been released, and is a reworked version of the jazz classic of the same name.
Along with his album announcement, Taylor will set off on tour across the US, touching down in 26 cities and accompanied by singer-songwriter Jackson Browne. Taylor will stop in Boston on June 21 at Fenway Park for a performance featuring Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin.
If a tour and a new album release weren’t enough to keep him busy, Taylor will also release an audio-only memoir titled “Break Shot” on Audible on Jan. 31. The memoir delves into the musician’s childhood connection to the selected songs on the album, narrated by Taylor himself.