The singer and guitarist Vernon James performed a set of songs by James Taylor when he brought his show How Sweet It Is to The Hub at St Mary’s.
Armed with only an acoustic guitar, the talented musician played the complicated but heartfelt music to a capacity and enthusiastic audience.
With songs that ranged from folk, country and blues along with elements of the Tin Pan Alley sound, his work found the acoustics of The Hub to be a natural partner.
The songs were played in a roughly chronological order, starting with the melodic Country Roads.
The cerebral Something In The Ways She Moves, which bought Taylor to the attention of The Beatles – before George Harrison used the title as the first line for his Something – was well played, while the hits such as California On My Mind, Sweet Baby James and the classic Fire and Rain showed how deeply embedded these songs of melancholic longing and musical complexity have become.
The second set featured some cover songs by other artists which Taylor had recorded over the years.
Jimmy Webb’s Wichita Linesman was well played, while one of the musical highlights was a cover of Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?
Steamroller Blues lifted the tempo of the night, as did the concert closer of How Sweet It Is which showed the full soul of Vernon’s voice, while the rhythm of his playing was aided by the audience’s clapping.
An encore of You’ve Got A Friend also including audience participation. Although the song is close to 50 years old, its universal message still applies.