Another fine recording by this Canadian folk-blues singer-songwriter, an AUK favourite, on something of a roll.
What an ongoing pleasure it is to get the opportunity to listen to and review artists who have somehow flown beneath one’s radar for a while, but who have a ton of talent that you hope will lead them to greater profile and glories. Julian Taylor is one such, a Toronto-based singer-songwriter of mixed Black Canadian and Mohawk ethnicity who not only has won awards for his music but has been nominated for them a number of times that other major artists would die for. Of course, my colleagues at AUK have long been aware of his immense talent – ‘borders on perfection’ is the summing up of our review of 2020’s “The Ridge“, a masterclass of folksy songwriting wrapped up in Americana stylings. The same could be said of 2022’s “Beyond the Reservoir”, where ‘ it is the compelling lyrics with such humanity which stand out’. In 2023, he released “Anthology“, a look back on his career, as frontman of the alt-rock band Staggered Crossing (1996-2007) and then the Julian Taylor Band, up to his early solo releases, with a couple of new tracks.
A regular visitor to the UK, Taylor gives good gig, whether solo or with, as my colleague Jon Aird pointed out in his live review last month, his crack all-girl UK band. And it is during these live shows with the band that Taylor can break out from being a country-folk artist to an all-out roots rocker and blues master.
Which leads us to the new album, “Pathways“, an 8-song offering of lyrically sophisticated and melodically excellent songs, with some top-notch session men, not least of whom is in-demand Canadian producer/guitarist Colin Linden (Bruce Cockburn, Lucinda Williams, Lindi Ortega, Emmylou Harris etc), who steers this album beautifully into some lovely soundscapes and himself contributes some great electric guitar (with echoes of Bo Ramsey and Mark Knopfler, to name but two).
The album focuses on the trials and tribulations that are part of life’s experiences, and how, firstly, Taylor has managed to survive them but also with a nod towards how we should do the same. Taylor has the gift of a really smooth, warm yet emotional voice, used to good effect on a variety of musical styles encompassed in the album. Kicking off is the lovely folk ballad ‘Weighing Down’, where Taylor exhorts us to really start to be nice(r) to ourselves – “Weighing down, don’t let it weigh you down. You’ve been so hard on yourself. It’s time to let things soften now”. The track is blessed with a sublime weeping steel guitar background and solo from Jim Hoke. ‘Love Letters’ has even more of an (English) folksy feel, a pitch to write love letters to express one’s feelings.
‘Sixth Line Road‘ ups the ante with twin drums kicking off until a down-and-dirty bluesy guitar riff enters the fray, over the top of a great bass line from Viktor Krauss and Taylor’s rhythm guitar and rounded off towards the end with very jazzy harmonica (Hoke again). The title track is one of four singles that gave us a foretaste of the album before release (very positive reviews of each of them can be found in AUK). It’s a real beauty too (a duet with the glorious Alison Russell) about one’s life experiences being passed down to a child/friend (who knows?) – very hypnotic and a lovely coda at the end from Hoke, on sax this time.
The album really goes up a few gears with the rocking ‘Running Away’, continuing the general theme of the album “Am I getting over it, or am I just running away”. Linden’s guitar really stings on his quite lengthy solo, into the fade out. ‘See this thing through‘ has a Phil Collins/Genesis vibe to start proceedings and is an album highlight, with Linden’s amazing guitar and Janice Powers subtle keys in the background. ‘Ain’t life Strange‘ is a reflection on past mistakes in life, with Hoke’s haunting sax rounding out the song after another Linden masterclass (electric dobro this time) over a gentle swaying beat, with the haunting line “Do we even know what we’re doing to ourselves and how our actions affect everyone else?”. ‘Into the Waves‘, a letting go song has Hoke back on steel guitar duty with Powers’ captivating organ, and a vocal with overtones of Roy Orbison on the repeated title line – “you walked into the waves”.
As Taylor himself sums up, the album is about ‘righteousness, acceptance and enlightenment”. Sounds about right, and it is exactly that for its 35 minutes’ length. A very fine effort indeed, and well worth exploring.
Diversity taking over Amerciana!