The compilation album The Best of James Taylor is the singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 James Taylor

James Taylor

James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....

's twentieth album, released in 2003.

The record is a Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...

 release, and as such emphasizes Taylor's recordings for that label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

; fifteen of the twenty tracks on the album are from his time with Warner Bros. The version of "Something In The Way She Moves" is the Apple Records

Apple Records

Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...

 version from 1969. "Carolina In My Mind

Carolina in My Mind

"Carolina in My Mind" is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter James Taylor, which first appeared on his 1968 debut album, James Taylor. Taylor wrote it while overseas recording for The Beatles' label Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his homesickness at the time. Released as...

" is the 1976 remake. "Steamroller

Steamroller Blues

"Steamroller Blues", often labelled just "Steamroller", is a song written by James Taylor, that first appeared on his 1970 breakthrough album Sweet Baby James. The song title comes from the first line: "I'm a steamroller baby, I'm bound to roll all over you..."...

" is the live version from 1975, and "Country Road" is the alternative single version.

The album entered the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 album chart on April 26, 2003, at number 11, with sales of approximately 73,500 copies. It remained on the chart for 42 weeks. It was awarded a certified gold record on December 17, 2003, and a platinum record on April 15, 2005, by the RIAA.

Track listing

1. "Something in the Way She Moves" - 2:27
2. "Sweet Baby James
   Sweet Baby James (song)
   "Sweet Baby James" is a song written and recorded by James Taylor which serves as the opening and title track from his 1970 breakthrough album Sweet Baby James...
   
   " - 2:53
3. "Fire and Rain
   Fire and Rain
   "Fire and Rain" is a folk/rock song written and performed by James Taylor. As a song on his second album, Sweet Baby James, the song engendered widespread attention for him. The album was released in February 1970, with the song being released as a single that month. "Fire and Rain" quickly rose to...
   
   " - 3:25
4. "Country Road
   Country Road (song)
   "Country Road" is a song written and performed by James Taylor. It appears on his 1970 second album, Sweet Baby James. The song references Somerset Street in Belmont, Massachusetts, a wooded road running adjacent to the land owned by McLean Hospital, where Taylor had committed himself in 1965 to...
   
   " – 3:30
   • Single version, previously unreleased on any James Taylor album.
5. "You've Got a Friend
   You've Got a Friend
   "You've Got a Friend" is a song from 1971, originally written and performed by Carole King. It was included in her album Tapestry of 1971, but was made famous by James Taylor's cover version the same year...
   
   " - 4:30
6. "You Can Close Your Eyes" - 2:32
7. "Long Ago and Far Away" - 2:22
8. "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" - 2:37
9. "Walking Man
   Walking Man
   Walking Man is singer-songwriter James Taylor's fifth album. Released on June 1, 1974, it was not as successful as his previous efforts, only reaching #13 on the Billboard Album Chart. It is also his only studio album not certified gold by the RIAA...
   
   " - 3:35
10. "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
    How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
    "How Sweet It Is " is a 1964 hit song written and produced by the Motown songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was originally recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and became one of his most popular songs...
    
    " - 3:37
11. "Mexico" - 3:00
12. "Shower the People
    Shower the People
    "Shower the People" is the opening track on James Taylor's 1976 album In the Pocket. The song reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. that fall, remaining in the Top 40 for eight weeks...
    
    " - 4:33
13. "Golden Moments" - 3:32
14. "Steamroller
    Steamroller Blues
    "Steamroller Blues", often labelled just "Steamroller", is a song written by James Taylor, that first appeared on his 1970 breakthrough album Sweet Baby James. The song title comes from the first line: "I'm a steamroller baby, I'm bound to roll all over you..."...
    
    " - 5:06
    • 1975 live version.
15. "Carolina in My Mind
    Carolina in My Mind
    "Carolina in My Mind" is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter James Taylor, which first appeared on his 1968 debut album, James Taylor. Taylor wrote it while overseas recording for The Beatles' label Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his homesickness at the time. Released as...
    
    " - 4:00
    • 1976 version.
16. "Handy Man
    Handy Man
    "Handy Man" is a rock and roll song credited to singer Jimmy Jones and songwriter Otis Blackwell. It was originally recorded by The Sparks Of Rhythm, a group Jones had been a member of when he wrote it, although he was not with them when they recorded it. In 1959, Jones recorded the song himself,...
    
    " - 3:20
17. "Your Smiling Face" - 2:48
18. "Up on the Roof
    Up on the Roof (song)
    "Up on the Roof" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded in 1962 by The Drifters. Released at the tail end of that year, the song became a big hit in early 1963, reaching number five on the U.S. pop singles chart and number 4 on the U.S...
    
    " - 4:22
19. "Only a Dream in Rio" - 5:03
20. "Bittersweet" - 3:44
    • A previously unreleased song, recorded specifically for this album in early 2003.