#394 : Sean Taylor - The Path Into the Blue

2019 – Sean Taylor Songs

By Phillip Smith; June 1, 2019

The Path Into the Blue, the ninth full-length album from London-based singer-songwriter Sean Taylor is absolutely remarkable.  I love how this beat-poet troubadour underscores the social issues of today with his expertly crafted lyrics.  Then with a blanket of soulful, funky, and rootsy music, his message is beautifully delivered.  With Taylor on vocals and guitars, and electric piano, Mark Hallman takes on the bass, suitcase drums, electric piano, and Hammond organ.

A groovy disco-infused rhythm is the backdrop as Taylor tears off his quick-fire rant against Brexit, hipster culture, addictions, corporate greed, and the dark side of the internet in “This is England”.  Wordless backing vocals from Stephanie Daulong add a very cool Pink Floyd-esque touch to the song.  The 2013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck is the melancholic subject of “Lampedusa”.  Andre Moran makes a guest appearance on guitar for this beautifully executed performance.  The sounds of a pedal steel guitar played by Henry Senior gently ushers the melodic “In the Name of God” into play.  However, when the saxophone and backing vocals finally arrive, this floaty anti-hate song delightfully breaks the boundaries between country, jazz, and gospel.  Taylor’s slightly gravelly vocals and the irresistible, delicate melody on “Tobacco and Whiskey” naturally remind me of the finest works of the great Tom Waits.  It is definitely one of my favorites.

The album is certainly an amazing listen.  I highly recommend it.

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The Shopkeeper – Film Review

Directed by Rain Perry

Release Date : Aug 21, 2017 – Shopkeeper, LLC

By Phillip Smith; July 2, 2017

The Shopkeeper, a warm and thoughtful documentary from folk rock singer/songwriter Rain Perry, sheds an eye-opening light on the current state of the music industry.  With a focal point of Mark Hallman’s Congress House Studio in Austin, Texas, the film takes a close look at the what it has taken over the past few decades to stay in the music game.

Delving into Hallman’s career as a musician, which spans nearly forty years, we get a glimpse of his earlier years as a member of the band Navarro, which happened to lead to simultaneously backing two legendary greats, Carole King and Dan Fogelberg. In the Eighties, after relocating to Texas, Hallman rented a house on two acres of land south of Austin to use for a pre-production studio, and he just never abandoned it. Over the years, The Congress House has become a haven for musicians from both near and far away.  Perry brilliantly relays the tale of the ever evolving business of music through the stories of Hallman and those who have worked with him, like Ani DiFranco, Tom Russell, Charlie Faye, Betty Soo, and Colin Gilmore.

In 1974, the music industry boasted $10.5 billion in sales, which grew to $19 billion in 1994.  With the introduction of the MP3 and file-sharing services of Napster, Pandora, and Spotify, record sales have plummeted. This not only affects the artists, it affects the studios as well.  Without the promise of record sales, the artists embrace newer technology which gives them the ability to inexpensively record at home, on devices which may be nothing more than an iPhone.  There is a price to pay for this.  The music itself takes a huge hit in quality, as it bypasses the step where those with extremely trained ears can take a really good song, and make it a great song.  Hallman, who is one of those extremely trained and talented figures, is noticing the changing trends every day.

I love the stories Perry draws from the musicians who all share a love for this sacred space and who might consider the studio a second home. The comradery surrounding those tales of overcoming whatever obstacles they had to overcome are truly the heart and soul of the film.   

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For more information regarding this film, visit these websites...
rainperry.com and shopkeepermovie.com

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 - Chase the Night

2013 -  Sean Taylor Songs

By Phillip Smith; April 12, 2014

London-based singer-songwriter Sean Taylor’s sixth and latest album, Chase the Night, is quite the masterpiece. This is some of the most unique and fascinating new music I have heard in a while.  Using blues and roots music to deliver intelligently crafted lyrics that sound like lost verses of beat poetry that fell out of a Kerouac book, Taylor has skillfully assembled an album which I find becomes more interesting with each subsequent listen.   Backing Taylor on all songs is Mark Hallman, tackling whatever instrument is thrown his way and flawlessly, I might add.  The album was recorded at Congress House Studios in Austin, TX.

Taylor has this fantastic ability to pour his emotions into his music.  Take “Losing You” for example, a bluegrassy song about lost love and self-blame.  Even after admitting his infidelities, the listener still is left with a soft spot in their heart for him, as he sings, “I know I’m losing you, I don’t wanna believe it’s true.”  I love the violin Warren Hood adds to the song as well as the electric slide guitar, provided by Andre Moron.   “So Fine”, with sultry vocals by Stephanie Daulong, reminds me a small bit of Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig in the Sky”.  Interestingly unfolding the similarities of sex and drugs, this song slowly and beautifully increases the tempo, building up a musical tension that is released via a furiously chaotic climax. 

“Biddy Mulligans”, about watching the world through the bottom of a shot glass, seems to draw inspiration from the works of Charles Bukowski.  There is definitely a little inspiration from Tom Waits hanging out in this song as well, sans the gravelly voice. This is beautifully played, with Taylor on both piano and guitar, Hood on violin, and Hallman taking on the bass.

I absolutely love “River”, with its trance-inducing rhythm, fuzzy guitar, and beat poetry lyrics. Like a Jim Morrison who’s more interested in being a Londoner, than being the Lizard-king, Taylor keeps the verses freely flowing.       

This is the first album of Taylor’s I have heard, and after just a few listens, it landed at the top of my favorites for the year.  Also, knowing he has five other albums out there to listen to, while I wait for the next one to come out, puts a smile on my face.  Chase the Night is definitely a keeper.