October Road by James Taylor
There's a comfortable sense of the familiar to James Taylor's first  collection of new songs since 1997's Grammy winnerHourglass; such is the  curse of being a decades-spanning cultural icon. But, as on his best work,  there's also an almost stealthy sense of musical restlessness that seeps into  Taylor's songs here, as he colors some with deft jazz and international  influences. The reunion with producer Russ Titelman (they last collaborated on  1976'sIn the Pocket)  seems to have gratifyingly inspired as much gentle reassessment as retrenchment.  Longtime Titelman compatriotRy Cooderguests on the  title track, a song whose autumnal comforts fit the Taylor canon and other album  tracks like "September Grass," "Baby Buffalo," "My Traveling Star," and "On the  Fourth of July" (the story of Taylor's romantic meeting with current wife Kim)  like an old slipper. However, "Belfast to Boston" cries for peace in Ireland and  elsewhere with some surprising Gaelic flourishes, while "Whenever You're Ready"  throws some Brazilian rhythms and jazzy horns into the mix, andDave Grusin's slick  orchestral arrangement turns "Mean Old Man" into an elegant cabaret surprise. A  little more of this musical adventure amidst the familiar romantic ballads and  paeans to the comfort of home and family--including a gorgeously spare cover of  "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"--certainly wouldn't hurt.--Jerry  McCulley