His nickname may be Sweet Baby James, but whatever you do, don't rush him.

 After numerous James Taylor fans -- 11,300 to be exact, gathered at the Molson Amphitheatre last night to see and hear their folk-pop hero -- shouted out song titles at the long, lean and lanky musician, he decided to get playful about five songs into his show.

 "Yeah, we'll get to that," Taylor, 52, joked when one audience member predictably yelled a request for his signature 1970 tune Fire And Rain.

 "That's down right here, see," he said, showing up a large piece of cardboard with his set list on it.

 "But first we've got to wade through a lot of crap."

 Of course, there really isn't much crap to be found over Taylor's 29-year career as an accomplished singer-songwriter-guitarist.

 But before getting to fan favorites like Traffic Jam, Country Road, Up On The Roof, You've Got A Friend, Handy Man, Steamroller, Smiling Face and -- true to his word -- Fire And Rain, he did want to show off a couple of new songs first.

 "We've been recording," he announced proudly.

 First there was Ananas -- "a song celebrating the pineapple" according to Taylor, followed by It's Enough To Be On Your Way and Line 'Em Up.

 All three were well-received but, the crowd had clearly come to hear Taylor's hits.

 And the evening was a reminder of just how vital a songwriter he has remained over time.

 Beginning with Something In The Way She Moves and Carolina On My Mind from his self-titled 1969 solo debut to Mexico from 1975's Gorilla to That's Why I'm Here from the album of the same name a decade later.

 Taylor, who last played two sold-out Massey Hall shows in November 1994, also brought a four-piece band for his largely stripped-down performance this time -- among them Torontonian Bob Mann on electric guitar.

 There were also lovely harmonies provided by four back-up singers, most noticeably Arnold McCuller of "Cleveland, Ohio," whose powerful pipes couldn't be ignored on I Will Follow.

 Not even by Taylor, who joked that McCuller was "sounding good. Maybe a little bit too good."

 Taylor's relaxed demeanor and down-home style -- one of the four fake trees supporting the stage lights behind him had a wooden fish on it that said "Bait Tackle" -- is a large part of the reason that fans of all ages continue to flock to his concerts.

 Not to mention his gentle singing voice that envelopes the listener from the moment he opens his mouth to the last verse of each song.

 Sweet Baby James, indeed.

 SUN RATING: FOUR STARS