James Taylor was pointing fingers at his supporting cast on a gorgeous Saturday night at the Molson Amphitheatre. However, none of it was to lay blame.

The two-hour, 23-song set had the 55-year-old singer-songwriter giving as many kudos to his backing musicians as the near capacity audience gave him.

Whether introducing them early in the night, shaking hands or nodding his approval on each musician's solo, Taylor always deflected the praise from his mellow, light rock classics.

Touring behind last summer's release October Road, Taylor spent the early portion of the evening offering up Something In The Way She Moves from his 1968 self-titled album and Copperline. Wearing jeans and a casual shirt, Taylor didn't mince words.

"Hey there! Nice night!" Taylor said.

Thankfully he's not as terse with his lyrics. And judging by his exuberant expressions and rather eclectic dance steps, it was like he was playing these hits for the first time, not three decades after the fact.

Blending his simple singer-songwriter style with various influences, songs such as the blues-induced Raised Up Family and a jazz-oriented Mean Old Man missed the mark and seemed a bit forced. But the musician always came back with staples, including a cover of the Carole King-penned You've Got A Friend.

The supporting cast was led primarily by backing vocalist Arnold McCuller. McCuller stole Taylor's thunder at various times, especially with a powerful closing on October Road.

"He's good! Maybe too good!" Taylor quipped as he pointed more fingers after the song.

The horn section of Walt Fowler and Lou Marini as well as guitarist Michael Landau also has several solos throughout. Some songs, including Shed A Little Light, had Taylor hopping around when not occasionally doing an inverted duck walk.

After a half-hour intermission, the second half of the show had Taylor moving through a dozen songs including Jump Up Behind Me and Whenever You're Ready. Appropriate video images coincided with each song as fans clapped or sang along when not giving standing ovations.

If there was one drawback to the evening, the second set appeared too hasty. Instead of continuing the rather loose and playful feeling they created, the group plowed through the final forty minutes, starting with Mescalito which moved seamlessly into Steamroller.

A stream of hits littered the homestretch. Carolina In My Mind, Fire And Rain and How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) each received approval as Taylor plucked the initial notes on his acoustic guitar.

After shaking some hands and signing a few autographs in the front row, Taylor returned with Mexico from his 1975 album Gorilla.

Taking a few bows, Taylor concluded the night with Sweet Baby James.

By that time, Taylor should've pointed a few fingers at himself.

JAM! Rating: 4 out of 5