James Taylor says ‘Before This World’ won’t be last album of new music

TORONTO – How sweet it is: James Taylor says he wants to keep making new music and promises it won’t take another dozen or so years to release it.

That’s how long it took the soul-soothing singer-songwriter to put out “Before This World,” on sale Tuesday.

Some fans wondered if this might be his last collection of original songs and the 67-year-old admits he once thought the same thing.

“There’s definitely more road behind me than there is ahead of me,” he said in a recent telephone interview.

“And I thought going into it, ‘Well, it took 12 years to get in there the last time. Let’s see, do the math: I’d be 79 by the time I got back in the studio. Is that likely? Well, maybe not.’”

But the five-time Grammy Award winner found it “so satisfying and so much fun to cook up a new batch” of tunes that he changed his mind.

“I definitely want to get back to it and do it again,” said a genial Taylor, from his home recording studio in Washington, Mass.

“I’m not sure what form it will take, but it’s not going to be another 12 years. There will be another one.”

“Before This World” is Taylor’s first album of new tunes since 2002’s platinum-selling “October Road,” but he has toured and had several releases in the interim, including a Christmas collection.

Taylor said some of the tunes on “Before This World,” produced by Grammy winner Dave O’Donnell, have been in the works for even longer than 12 years.

“You And I Again,” for instance, began over 20 years ago as a simple piano piece he’d play every time he sat down at the keys. It drove his wife, choral singer Caroline (Kim) Smedvig, “crazy,” he said with a laugh.

“Kim said it was something Bach would’ve written when he was three.”

Eventually the piece turned into a love story about the first time he and Smedvig met.

“She didn’t know I was writing it about her,” said Taylor. “She didn’t know it was a love song to her until it was finished. Of course she recognized this music that I had been driving her nuts with for years, but I scored some points.”

Taylor has also scored points with his Canadian fans with the tune “SnowTime,” about being in economic exile and trying to reignite a cultural flame in downtown Toronto in the winter.

He said the song was inspired by positive examples of the immigrant experience he saw in Montreal and Toronto.

“I love Canada,” said Taylor. “I’ve always had a strong connection there, so I wanted to place this song there.”

Those connections include Joni Mitchell, whom he once dated and collaborated with.

“I love her and also admire her,” said Taylor, noting he hasn’t spoken with her in a long time. “The year we spent together was one of the most amazing times.”

“Before This World” has a total of 10 songs featuring Taylor’s signature sunny vocals.

“Angels Of Fenway,” which includes the vocals of Smedvig and son Henry, details Taylor’s childhood days in the baseball stadium as a Red Sox fan.

Meanwhile, “Montana” has him wishing he was back in the state and “Far Afghanistan” is about a soldier preparing for the battlefield.

Taylor recorded with the longtime members of his band as well as close friends Yo-Yo Ma and Sting.

He said he feels like he’s become better at songwriting over the years.

“But there’s not the same urgency to express myself as there used to be,” he added. “I’m more critical of the process as I’m doing it. I think I’ve become better at realizing the song when it comes to recording it.”