Solid second from Austin-based Californian singer-songwriter.
It’s been four years since Taylor Rae put out her debut album “Mad Twenties” which got her a lot of attention and some commercial success. Since then, she has been touring extensively – over 200 shows a year – supporting a list of well-known names including Sierra Hull, The Head and The Heart and John Craigie.
For “The Void” she took some time off the road and went into the Pasadena studio of producer Eric Krasno (Soulive) to record its ten tracks. Krasno contributed guitar, bass and synthesisers while other musicians included Curtis Kelly (drums, percussion) and Steve Watkins (piano, organ).
“The main theme is introspection,” Rae says of the album. “The past four years have been such a trying time with constant change. Sometimes it felt like I was staring into the void, and I decided to document the moment by writing these songs.”
The ten songs are bookended by two longer (5-minute-plus) songs, while the remainder weigh in around the 3-minute mark. The album opens with the title track, which begins with a light acoustic and vocal before drawing in more instrumentation. Very much on the introspective end of the spectrum pulling themes of sleeplessness, dreaming and the conscious/subconscious. “Art is the lock/ Pain is the key” sings Rae. There is some fine guitar and synth work behind it.
‘Maybe I’m The Villain‘ comes in with an upbeat funky intro based around a tight rhythm section. There are some sweet R&B-style backing vocals and Stax-style organ fills. The third track ‘Cologne‘ maintains the funky beat but this time with more of a jazzy lean and some bluesy guitar. One of several tales of love lost – “I wear your cologne when I’m feeling alone”.
‘Telluride‘ is almost jaunty despite being a tale based around travelling to leave an iffy relationship behind. This one has a definite bluegrass feel helped no doubt by Sierra Hull guesting with impeccable mandolin and also contributing vocals. Next up is ‘Undertone‘ detailing a lost relationship but one with a hint of controlling. Rae’s double-tracked vocal adds a sweet dimension to the song.
The sixth track, and quite possibly the side two opener on the vinyl, is ‘Celebrating Alone‘. The song is performed in a light jazz nightclub mood. The lyric has Rae revisiting memories of a past relationship thinking of its touchstones while “the world is red and green/ I feel blue/ celebrating alone”; not the happiest of holidays. More chilling is ‘Not Mine‘, which is something of a kiss off to a bad relationship with sinister overtones, including controlling and gaslighting. Rae keeps an assertive edge to her performance despite that.
‘Hi‘, with its light reggae beat, returns to the theme – this time dealing with meeting an ex, dealing with mixed feelings but just locking it all down and sticking to saying ‘Hi’. The following ‘Trapped’ adds another semi-seasonal dimension to the subject. Rae here “[hates] the way I miss you all the time” while feeling trapped in a relationship she knows isn’t good for her.
Album closer ‘Airport Song‘ finds Rae at the end of the road spending her last dollar on a ticket to Spain to get away from her ex and to find time and space for herself. At the same time, she is aware that “I think what you’ve done to me is here to stay”.
“The Void” is a solid second album from an interesting performer in which sweet melodies and sympathetic instrumentation soften the impact of some pretty hard-hitting lyrics. Rae’s vocal delivery, though, has a tendency to follow the beat rather than flow with the melody, which takes a while to get used to.
