Joanne Shaw Taylor – Almost Always Never
Wow! I am not sure where to start and whether I can do true justice to the album in this review. The intensity of the lyrics, the virtuosity displayed on guitar, and that awesome blues voice combine for a CD that should be nominated and win her accolades as songwriter and blues album of 2012! My only question is how does someone at the age of TWENTY SIX acquire the wisdom to look life straight in the eye and write about it like she does?
All but one of the 12 cuts on the record are original tunes. And the one cover, Jealousy, is a beautiful slow blues song that addresses a destructive tendency that most of us have experienced. The remorse and sadness over the consequences of her actions that Joanne conveys with her voice and guitar make this song not so much a performance but a revelation of the human condition. If you liked her previous hit, Blackest Day, you will LOVE this one!
The title track, Almost Always Never, is a pretty “coming of age” tune that delves into the dejection and dreams we had at 17 and how we deal with life as we grow older ….you crash, you burn, but you’ll live and you learn, you’ll hope and you’ll pray, there will be better days, but who you are, where you’ve been, who you wanna be again, you almost always never forget to remember!
Losing Myself to You is a pretty song about weighing the balance between a relationship going bad and personal identify. Tied and Bound, Standing to Fall, and Soul Station are hot tunes with great beats and some fantastic guitar licks. And I loved Maybe Tomorrow with lyrics about choices and karma…It’s hard to see the road ahead when you are drivin blind, it’s hard to see the devil when he stabs you from behind.
Joanne has a maturity beyond her years and the talent to match. The combination yielded an awesome album. And many of the tunes just beg to be played in a jammin’ live blues settings. The album goes on sale in mid September and she hits the road in Europe in early October. So you Euros get the first listen…let the rest of us know what you think by dropping me an email….and…..don’t forget to remember!
