Before This World
James Taylor
(Concorde)
Three stars
James Taylor’s first album of original compositions in 13 years fortunately does not threaten his legacy.
The 67-year-old retains his ability to craft and deliver affecting songs that are deceptively simple, elegant and delivered in his comforting and supple tenor. Montana evokes his classic hit Sweet Baby James in metre, mood and melody. And Snow Time will certainly raise comparisons to his much-loved Mexico, though this one is about decamping in Toronto.
The title track is among the finest of what Taylor calls his "agnostic hymns", a stately piece featuring standout support from cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Sting. Far Afghanistan has Taylor using his evocative lyricism to question the assumptions regarding invading foreign lands.
Not everything works, however – the weakest track, Angels of Fenway, is a meandering ballad dedicated to his beloved Boston Red Sox baseball team. It suffers from Taylor laying on the sentimentality a little too thick. That said, Before This World is a solid, smart and at times sublime song collection from a legendary journeyman.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Dooda Solutions
Based: Lebanon
Founder: Nada Ghanem
Sector: AgriTech
Total funding: $300,000 in equity-free funding
Number of employees: 11
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The specs: Audi e-tron
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NBA Finals results
Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79