The ten tracks were recorded live at Exulans Studio by an eleven-piece group with Taylor on vocals sharing bass duties with Kassidy Kent bolstered by Christian Teele on drums, Eric Moon on keyboards, Tim Tucker on guitars, Sally Van Meter on lap steel and Doug Lynn on harmonica with background vocals from Stella Ann, Kylee Ribble, Larea Edwards and Chrissy Grant creating a wall of sound styled production. The Bluesmasters boldly open the set by taking the sparse call and response number, “Downward Road,” from The Staple Singers 1960 release and revving it up over a heavy Chicago shuffle and adding sacred steel and greasy blues harp setting the stage for what’s ahead. “Nobody's Fault But Mine," one of Blind Willie Johnson's most interpreted songs, is transformed by Taylor and Company with glorious harmonies and swinging sophisticated testimony. Conversely the group removes the highbrow composition, “Sit Down Servant,” from the opera house and brings it back to the juke joint for a gritty late-night blues altar call. Taking rhythmic cues from the 1966 Ramsey Lewis version of “Wade In The Water,
” The Bluesmasters add a hundred pounds of heft to the back beat and pumping bass to create a truly modern cover of the much-loved folk song. Taylor shows off her dynamic range during her emotional reading of the bittersweet R&B ballad “You’re Gonna Make Me Cry.” The 1922 hymn “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” is brought into the 21st century over a rousing boogaloo beat. Taylor channels Mavis on the re-creation of the heady blues treatise, “I Wonder Why,” from The Staple Singers and the tribute continues with a loving turn on the family’s most beloved song “Respect Yourself.” Everyone gets a moment to shine on the album finale “Chain Of Fools.” On this new collection of gospel infused blues and soul, The Bluesmasters and Cassie Taylor give living proof to the oft said phrase “There is a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning.” Rick J Bowen
BIOGRAPHY
Taylor started her career touring internationally as a bassist at 16, beginning with a national tour for her father, critically acclaimed blues musician, and songwriter Otis Taylor. Taylor’s formative years as a touring artist led her to share the stage and record with blues and rock legends, including Joe Cocker, John Oates, Gary Moore, and Keb’ Mo. ’ After an enduring 12-year touring career concluding with an aggressive international tour, Taylor faced a reckoning with the challenges of being a young female musician and a deep recognition of the struggles she was experiencing with her mental health, taking a step back from the stage for the next decade . “When I walked away from music at 28 following a suicide attempt, the industry standard for female musicians was to be thin, pretty, white, and most importantly, young. That, coupled with the invisible but prevailing expiration date where, at a certain age, their career was no longer marketable or a consumable product, I felt like my viability as an artist was coming to a close. I didn’t fit the industry’s beauty standards. I was in my late twenties, and I was living inauthentically, knowing that my creative and sexual identity no longer belonged to me,” says Taylor. “There is so much power in vulnerability and honesty, especially when it’s not pretty. Music is an omnipresent connector for shared experiences, and in this new era, my motivation is reclaiming my identity and empowering people to do the same with theirs.”
TRACK LIST 1. Downward Road 2.37 2. Nobody’s Fault But Mine 5.02 3. Sit Down Servant 3.36 4. Wade In The Water 3.02 5. You’re Gonna Make Me Cry3.30 6. If I Could Hear My Mother… 2.31 7. If You’re Ready 3.33 8. I Wonder Why 3.04 9. Respect Yourself 4.37 10. Chain Of Fools 2.58
WEBLINKS The Bluesmasters
- OS: www.thebluesmasters.com
- FB: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575807157671
For More information: Betsie Brown, Blind Raccoon, betsie@blindraccoon.com,
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten