JT (album)

JT is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor, and his first album for Columbia Records. Released on June 22, 1977, two hit singles were spawned from the album: "Handy Man", a Jimmy Jones cover, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also topped the Adult Contemporary chart. "Your Smiling Face", the other big hit, peaked at #20. The record also contains other Taylor classics such as "Secret O' Life" and "Terra Nova", with the participation of Taylor's then-wife Carly Simon.

JT
Studio album by James Taylor
Released	June 22, 1977 (1977-06-22)
Recorded	March 15 – April 24, 1977 (1977-03-15 – 1977-04-24)
Studio	The Sound Factory, Hollywood, California
Genre	Soft rock
Length	38:17
Label	Columbia/Sony Legacy
Producer	Peter Asher
James Taylor chronology
Greatest Hits (1976) JT (1977) Flag (1979)
Singles from JT
"Bartender's Blues" Released: 1977 "Your Smiling Face" Released: September 1977 "Honey Don't Leave L.A." Released: February 1978

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B[2]
MusicHound	3.5/5[3]
Rolling Stone	(favorable)[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

At the 1978 Grammy Awards, Taylor won the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his version of "Handy Man". JT itself was also nominated for Album of the Year, but lost to Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.

JT was Taylor's highest-charting album since Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, and stands as Taylor's biggest-selling studio album in the United States with over 3.5 million copies sold.

Track listing

All songs were written by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.[6]

Side One

1. "Your Smiling Face"  – 2:50
2. "There We Are"  – 3:02
3. "Honey Don't Leave L.A." (Danny Kortchmar)  – 3:05
4. "Another Grey Morning"  – 2:44
5. "Bartender's Blues"  – 4:12
6. "Secret O' Life"  – 3:34

Side Two

1. "Handy Man" (Otis Blackwell, Jimmy Jones)  – 3:17
2. "I Was Only Telling a Lie"  – 3:24
3. "Looking for Love on Broadway"  – 2:23
4. "Terra Nova" (Taylor, Carly Simon)  – 4:32
5. "Traffic Jam"  – 1:58
6. "If I Keep My Heart Out of Sight"  – 3:01

Personnel

• James Taylor – acoustic guitar, lead and backing vocals
• Danny Kortchmar – guitars
• Dan Dugmore – steel guitar (2, 5)
• Clarence McDonald – keyboards (credited as Dr. Clarence McDonald)
• Leland Sklar – bass guitar
• Russ Kunkel – drums, castanets (7), wood block (9), tambourine (10), handclaps (10)
• Peter Asher – cowbell (3), castanets (7), cabasa (7, 9), wood block (9), tambourine (10), handclaps (10)
• David Sanborn – saxophone (3)
• Red Callender – tuba (10)
• David Campbell – string arrangements and conductor (1, 5), viola (2)
• Linda Ronstadt – harmony vocals (5)
• Leah Kunkel – backing vocals (7)
• Carly Simon – harmony vocals (10)

Production

• Producer – Peter Asher
• Recorded and Mixed by Val Garay at The Sound Factory (Los Angeles, CA).
• Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA).
• Art Direction and Design – John Kosh
• Front Cover and Sleeve Photos – David Alexander
• Back Cover and Inside Photos – Jim Shea

References

1. Ruhlmann, William. "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 15, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 1125. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
4. "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on 29 March 2010.
5. "James Taylor: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
6. "Amazon.com: JT: James Taylor: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-12-06.