2016 – Ruf Records
By Phillip Smith; Apr 24, 2016
Tasha Taylor,
daughter of Stax legend, Johnnie Taylor has found her sweet spot
for making music. Her latest and third
album, Honey For the Biscuit, is a wondrous cache of rhythm and blues with a whole lot of soul. The core band she has put together is quite
the ensemble. It includes bassist Nathan Watts (Stevie Wonder),
guitarists John Notto and Jon Taylor, pianist/keyboardist Don Wyatt, percussionist Mujungo Jackson, and Gerry Brown, Ronald Bruner and Stanley
Randolph on drums. In addition, Taylor utilizes a full brass section.
The retro Motown vibe and lush sound of the horns
in “Wedding Bells” quickly grab my attention.
Taylor’s voice gets sultry
while Wyatt and Watts keep the rhythm in a borderline trans-inducing state, keeping
me hypnotized for the duration of the song.
Taylor draws me in deeper with “Places I Miss”, a song about yearning to
break free from a harmful relationship.
A song that puts a smile on
my face is the light and bluesy “Family Tree”, with special guest Keb Mo appearing, guitar and microphone
in hand. This eloquent ditty gets stuck
in my head every time I hear it. Keb is not the only special guest who
appears on this album. Robert Randolph sits in on the spirited
“Little Miss Suzie” livening things up with his unique style on lap steel
guitar. In “Leave That Dog Alone”, Taylor tackles the Blues with full
force, enlisting the fiery Samantha Fish,
who gives a ripping performance on guitar.
Then, Taylor also shakes it
on down with Tommy Castro, who lends
vocals to the funky “Same Old Thing”.
According to Taylor, Honey For the Biscuit was three years in the making, and I believe
it. The writing and composition of each
of the thirteen tracks are reflective of a whole lot of heart and soul. Taylor shines as songwriter and singer
both.
