Joanne Shaw Taylor - Songs From The Road (Album Review)
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Written by Simon Ramsay
There's plenty to admire about British blues-rock's current first lady, Joanne Shaw Taylor. She plays guitar like a seething demon, hammering out fire and brimstone grooves and feisty solos with power, poise and total control. Add to that strong tunes, a bubbly stage presence and complete lack of pretension and she's almost the complete package. Almost.
Discovered by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics at the age of 16, she's released three albums of classy blues-rock that have garnered considerable acclaim and seen her dubbed 'the new face of the blues' by Blues Matters!.
With dues paid and respect earned, it's now time for her debut live album. Recorded at the intimate Borderline venue in London, this release is part of Ruf Records' 'Songs From The Road' series and features a 12 track CD and 15 track DVD.
As she tears through opening number Soul Station, it's immediately apparent what a superb guitarist Taylor is, making her Les Paul talk in a fiery tongue. Her rhythms swing and swagger throughout, playing hard and heavy on the chugging Jump That Train and dispatching a ferociously cool Delta stomp on Coming Home. Her clean rhythmic chops on Kiss The Ground Goodbye have a crisp precision and energy reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Moreover, her solos are crafted with real finesse, switching between sprinting speed and beautifully phrased licks in the blink of an eye. She also possesses an instinctive feel for improvisation, never becoming self indulgent and boring. Watch 'Em Burn's flame-throwing fretwork and Diamonds In The Dirt's sprightly outro are two excellent examples of her masterful lead work.
Throughout, Taylor and her band gleefully stray from the album versions of her songs. Tracks take on new life and their heat-of-the-moment creativity and interaction epitomises blues at its expressive best. The set highlights the strength of her back catalogue - the soul bounce of Beautifully Broken and Tied And Bound's pugilistic grind to name but two - while a couple of noteworthy covers deliver mixed results. Frankie Miller's Jealousy is a smoky, slow burning torch song, but Jimi Hendrix's Manic Depression highlights Taylor's one weakness - vocals.
Her delivery often sounds like Tina Turner fighting a cold. When she drops low her vocals are pleasantly husky, if a little strained and exaggerated. The problem is her higher, more aggressive register is too sharp and over accentuated. While being unvarnished is intrinsic to the blues, so are the lyrics. If you don't know these songs you won't always understand them. But, this is where we dive into subjective territory, because Taylor has won best vocalist at the British Blues Awards on multiple occasions.
The reaction to Taylor's vocals will shape the enjoyment of this record. She's obviously happy being a shining light in the blues scene, but if she joined forces with a similarly talented singer she'd be an absolute superstar.
Thu November 28 2013 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Fri November 29 2013 - BIRMINGHAM Town Hall Birmingham
Sat November 30 2013 - HOLMFIRTH Picturedrome
Sun December 01 2013 - GATESHEAD Sage Gateshead
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