James Taylor Announces New Album, Tour With Jackson Browne
James Taylor will release American Standard, his 19th studio recording, before kicking off a U.S. tour with Jackson Browne. You can check out the track listing, a new song and the concert slate below.
Due on Feb. 28, the covers-focused American Standard marks Taylor's first album since 2015's Before This World, which became his first chart-topping release. "Teach Me Tonight," the lead single, was written by Gene De Paul and Sammy Cahn in 1953.
"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 news release. "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 dates with Browne kick off on May 15 in New Orleans, and continue through July. The tour follows Taylor's already-announced Canadian shows with Bonnie Raitt. Along the way, Taylor will make a June 21 stop at Boston's Fenway Park, on a bill that also includes Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin.
American Standard is now available for pre-order. Browne's most recent album is 2014's Standing in the Breach, which reached the Top 20.
James Taylor, 'American Standard" Track Listing
"My Blue Heaven" (Walter Donaldson-George A. Whiting)
"Moon River" (Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer)
"Teach Me Tonight" (Gene De Paul-Sammy Cahn)
"As Easy as Rolling Off a Log" (M.K. Jerome-Jack Scholl)
"Almost Like Being In Love" (Frederick Loewe-Alan Jay Lerner)
"Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" (Frank Loesser)
"The Nearness of You" (Hoagy Carmichael-Ned Washington)
"You've Got to be Carefully Taught" (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II)
"God Bless the Child" (Billie Holiday-Arthur Herzog Jr.)
"Pennies From Heaven" (Arthur Johnston-Johnny Burke)
"My Heart Stood Still" (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart)
"Ol' Man River" (Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II)
"It's Only a Paper Moon" (Harold Arlen-Yip Hardburg-Billy Rose)
"The Surrey With the Fringe On Top" (Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II)
James Taylor & Jackson Browne Summer U.S. Tour 2020
5/15 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
5/16 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
5/18 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
5/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
5/22 – Boise, ID @ ExtraMile Arena
5/24 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
5/25 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
5/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
5/28 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
5/29 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena
6/10 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
6/12 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
6/13 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Center
6/15 – Dayton, OH @ Nutter Center
6/16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
6/18 – Hershey, PA @ Giant Center
6/19 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
6/21 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park*
6/23 – Roanoke, VA @ Berglund Center Coliseum
6/24 – Charleston, WV @ Charleston Coliseum
6/26 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
6/27 – Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum
6/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Infinite Energy Center
6/30 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
7/4 – Lenox, MA @ Tanglewood**
7/7 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/8 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health @ Jones Beach Theater
7/10 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Center
*w/Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin
**no guest artist