Album of the Day

On GORILLA, James Taylor entered a new phase of his career, shifting from the confessional singer-songwriter approach of his first records to mainstream pop flavored with soul and country. It paid off - the Warner Bros. collection included a minor hit in opener “Mexico” and a Top 10 single in “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” which was released on this day in 1975. To say the album gleams with professional polish is an understatement; producers Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker rounded up what seems like half the musicians in L.A. to play on these sessions, including David Crosby and Graham Nash, Randy Newman, saxophonist David Sanborn and Lowell George of Little Feat. Taylor's then-wife Carly Simon also appears; perhaps it's marital bliss, but GORILLA radiates contentment, and it remains a sure-fire mood elevator.