Here’s a sweet companion piece to James Taylor’s first album of other people’s songs, Covers. The songs here were recorded during the same sessions and many of these tunes are selections that Taylor has been performing live throughout his career. Rodgers & Hammerstein's “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” sets the tone with a breezy late-afternoon cool as Taylor’s backing vocalists inject some timeless timbre to the choruses. Rather than closely follow the hard-driving, old-school, rock ‘n’ roll style of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis,” Taylor makes the song his own with a mellow mid-tempo rhythm and warm horns that recall early ‘70s AM radio hits — though the blues leads at the end nicely nod to the song’s roots. Things get much bluesier with the last three songs, especially on a soulful rendition of the old traditional “Wasn’t That a Mighty Storm” replete with a gospel choir and vintage guitar distortion. Taylor doesn’t deviate too far from the original formula of Wilson Pickett and Steve Cropper’s “In the Midnight Hour.” Even the horn section sounds imported from the ‘60s.