Otis TAYLOR - Blues, Definition Of a Circle 2007

Otis TAYLOR - Blues, Definition Of a Circle 2007

Blues

Crackling with hypnotic energy, Otis Taylor's eighth album infuses his cutting-edge blues with a dose of rock'n'roll exuberance. The blasting opener "Little Betty" gets some rocket fuel from blues-rock legend Gary Moore's marvelously expressive, raw guest guitar as well as from drummer John Kelly, whose propulsion ignites several of these dozen tunes. Ultimately, though, Taylor's one-chord magic comes from his knack for repeating catchy riffs until they become a seductive blur--a hip-shaking platform for his colorful explorations of love, war, joy, deprivation, and racial struggle. He's also got a way with textures, spinning dirty guitar, prickly electric mandolin, his daughter Cassie's haunting alto singing, and his own appealingly hoarse baritone into mesmeric arrangements for tunes like the Hurricane Katrina contemplation "They Wore Blue" that owe as much to Pink Floyd as to Muddy Waters. Taylor also pushes the envelope hard with "Long Long Life," which blends jazz star Hiromi Uchara's manic piano improvisations with Ron Miles's free-form cornet as Taylor intones a curse on a disdainful lover. It's a brilliant collision of styles and yet another fiery testimonial to Taylor's unique artistic vision.
By Ted Drozdowski.

01. Little Betty 4:13
02. Black's Mandolin Boogie 4:01
03. Looking Over Your Fence 4:06
04. They Wore Blue 7:11
05. Few Feet Away 4:15
06. Something In Your Back Pocket 4:57
07. My Name Is General Jackson 4:22
08. Love And Hesitation 4:04
09. Maharaja Daughter 4:04
10. Long Long Life 3:47
11. Mexican Cowboy 3:53
12. Lifetime Of Freedom 5:05
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Otis TAYLOR - Below the Fold 2005

Otis TAYLOR - Below the Fold 2005
Label: Telarc

Blues

Genre-defying, critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Otis Taylor's seventh CD, Below the Fold, marks the award-winning artist's third disc for Telarc, the premiere blues/jazz/classical label. Featuring a variety of styles that stem from a blues-based core, the 10-track set results in a diverse and rhythmically complex cycle of songs which bond acoustic Delta blues with Appalachian country blues.

On Below the Fold, Taylor's signature trance sound, marked by his artistic fearlessness, is fleshed out by the use of surprising instruments. Fiddle, organ and banjo meld into passionate narratives giving the songs an unearthly cast. "I'm obsessive about trying out new ideas and sounds," the 2005 WC Handy Award nominee explains. "And I'm particularly drawn to the banjo because it's originally from Africa. In old-time music, banjoists would tap on their fifth string, a process which carries right through to Delta blues." And for the first time, Taylor employs drums on several tracks. Standout selections include the brazen opener "Feels Like Lighting," the warmly sung "Working for the Pullman Company" delivered by Taylor's daughter Cassie, and the closer "Right Side of Heaven" which bustles with the sounds of a New Orleans-style cajun marching band.
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When I heard Otis Taylor's 2003 "Truth Is Not Fiction" CD, I was knocked out by a startling and totally new take on blues music. Hearing the 2005 "Below The Fold," I am concerned that Taylor has written himself into a prematurely dead end. The production and instrumentation continues to be exceptionally innovative, modern, and the opposite of blues fossilized in either '30's Delta shacks or '50's Chicago blues bars. But it must be said, the songs are melodically sounding too much the same as prior efforts -- no matter how well-disguised by different and unusual (for blues) instrumental backing.

Like John Lee Hooker, Otis Taylor knows how to work a one-chord vamp. But as elemental as Hooker was, even with his one-chord vamps (some of which were upbeat boogies, which does help), his albums did not feel this constricted in what is becoming musically formulaic (albeit, a formula that is Taylor's alone). I am betting that Otis Taylor is creative and talented enough to break free, with his best songs still ahead of him. I really hope he doesn't let the "jam band" circuit imprison his creativity. No complaints at all here about his lyrics (some folks will never tolerate his subject matters), which remain fierce and compelling. But if the music isn't interesting, for me poetry or prose is just not enough.
By  Michael Strom.
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Otis Taylor- (Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Harmonica);
Cassie Taylor- (Vocals, bass guitar);
Futoshi Morioka- (Guitar);
Rayna Gellert- (Fiddle);
Ben Sollee- (Cello);
Ron Miles- (Trumpet);
Brian Juan- (Organ);
Greg Anton- (Drums).
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01. Feel Like Lightning'
02. Boy Plays Mandolin
03. Hookers in the Street
04. Mama's Got a Friend
05. Working For the Pullman Company
06. Your Children Sleep Good Tonight
07. Didn't Know Much About Education
08. Went to Hermes
09. Government Lied
10. Right Side of Heaven
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