Sean Taylor - Flood & Burn

2017 – Sean Taylor Songs  

By Phillip Smith; Feb 18, 2017

Flood and Burn, the eighth full-length release from UK singer/songwriter Sean Taylor is an engaging, melodic jewel.  The album consists of eleven original pieces covering a variety of genres, along with a compelling bluesy cover of “Heartbreak Hotel” featuring Taylor on harp and Andre Moran on slide guitar.     

The velvety and lulling “Codeine Dreams” welcomes the listener in with soft swirly vocals amid colorful splashes of saxophone courtesy of Joe Morales. Taylor’s poetic mastery cleverly reveals itself on “A Good Place to Die” and the jazzy “Cruelty of Man”.  

With Roscoe Beck (Leonard Cohen) on double bass and Mike Hardwick on pedal steel, “Troubadour” beautifully recounts the uncertainly of life as a traveling musician.  A wave of melancholy washes over me when I hear “Life Goes On”.  Whether going through good times or bad, one can only go forward.  The lord giveth and the lord taketh away when Taylor charmingly conjures up an ominous hill-country vibe on the downtempo title track “Flood and Burn”.  Mark Hallman guests on banjo and Andre Moran on slide guitar, elegantly setting the song’s dark mood.  

Subtle references to Charles Bukowski, Townes Van Zandt, and Skip James are delightfully plucked like Easter eggs from “Bad Case of the Blues”.  A lush mix of slide guitar from Moran and violin from Hana Piranha taxis this daunting melody to exactly where it needs to be.  “Better Man”, a song of blessing and sacrifice, guided by the wonderful talent of Piranha on violin and Danny Thompson on double bass, eloquently brings Flood & Burn to a graceful end.

Sean Taylor - The Only Good Addiction is Love

2015 –Sean Taylor Songs

By Phillip Smith; July 25, 2015

The Only Good Addiction is Love, Sean Taylor’s seventh album, steers the focus away from the hustle and bustle of city living, as was the focus on his previous album, Chase the Night.  As Taylor explains, he is now exploring the challenging world of aesthetics, bringing out the truth in beauty and vice versa. Before the first song of this eleven track album is finished, I’m quickly reminded of just how truly remarkable this songwriter is. 

The title track takes its name from an inspiring quote from former Uruguayan President Jose ‘Pepe’ Mujica, who selflessly declined the use of the presidential palace and its staff, and chose instead to live on his modest farm, all while donating ninety percent of his salary to charity.  This captivating song with a little Leonard Cohen reference, not only opens the album, but pours a foundation fashioned from complimentary dualities.  The dark swampy blues of “Bad Light” is kicked off with the electric surge of slide guitar from Andre Moran, and masterfully accented by the deep eerie sounds of Brian Standefer on cello. I am also heavily drawn to “Lorca”, a Spanish flavored instrumental which Taylor plays beautifully on guitar. 

Double bass virtuoso Danny Thompson returns to work with Taylor on the two tracks, “Rothko”, and “Moma”.  The former, is homage to Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko who also inspired the album’s cover art.  Taylor’s guitar paired with Thompson’s double bass creates a hypnotic rhythm for the poetic lyrics to ride along. 

If you ever wondered how W.B. Yeat’s “The White Birds” would sound if set to music, wonder no more.  This vibrant poem is sweetly complimented with Taylor’s music.   “Desolation Angels” captures the essence of Kerouac’s book bearing the same name, with Clapton-esque guitar licks and free-wheeling prose. This is music for the soul. 

The Only Good Addiction is Love is definitely in my list of favorite albums this year.  It doesn’t get much better than this.     

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