Troubadour Taylor Plays to Strengths

One of James Taylor’s greatest assets is that he’s well aware of his limitations. As a tunesmith, he’s never possessed the literary flair of Joni Mitchell or poetic genius of Bob Dylan, and while Taylor has been criticized in the past for refusing to break free of his genteel troubadour persona, it’s simply what he does best. At the Universal Amphitheatre on Tuesday, Taylor--the classic American archetype of the sensitive singer-songwriter--sang his deceptively simple narratives about love and wanderlust with disarming modesty.

As a live performer, Taylor’s most endearing quality remains his utter lack of cynicism and pretense. Even though his set list has changed little in the last two decades, he still seems to invest a bit of himself emotionally in songs he’s performed countless times. Remarkably, Taylor’s mellifluous voice has lost none of its sweet tone or range.

But aside from a few new songs and the occasional outside tune, Taylor’s performance was pretty much an oldies revue designed to tweak baby boomer heartstrings.

Taylor may not be a restless visionary, but as his strong 1997 album, “Hourglass,” proved, he’s certainly capable of more than just pleasant nostalgia trips.

* James Taylor plays Saturday at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. $35. (714) 704-2500. Also Monday at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 8:15 p.m. $28-$37. (818) 622-4440.