11:11

Maria Taylor | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 24, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Saddle Creek
• ASIN: B0008FPIWC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,724 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Though often referred to as half of the duo Azure Ray and 1/4 of Saddle Creek's Now It's Overhead, Taylor's soulful melodies and honeyed vocal talents have cropped up on the releases of Crooked Fingers, Bright Eyes, Moby, The Bruces, and The Faint. She writes the sort of classic, sad songs once favored by the first ladies of American songwriting. On this, her first solo full-length, she evokes the artistry of greats like Carole King, Laura Nyro, and Rickie Lee Jones, while spanning the spectrum from acoustic folk to electronic dream pop. The all-star cast includes Cursive's Gretta Cohn, Now It's Overhead's Andy LeMaster, and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I will wait for you, August 16, 2005

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 11:11 (Audio CD)

Maria Taylor is best known as half of the duet Azure Ray, and has lent her sleepy, sweet vocal talents to bands and artists as acclaimed as Bright Eyes and Moby.

But it was only a matter of time before Taylor (and her musical partner Orenda Fink too) tried her hand at some solo work. That's where her solo debut, the ambiguously named "11:11," comes into play: A warm, melancholy slice of ethereal pop music.

It opens with the ethereal "Leap Year," where slightly disjointed poetic lyrics mingle with smooth strings, piano, and Taylor's throaty, soft voice. "Save my money/For that plane ride/Horn of plenty/Heavy sunlight/Autumn's bounty/Bread and red wine/In a hurry/But there's so much time/I will wait for you..." It sets the mood for most of the songs to come, and it's by no means disappointing.

From there on, Taylor tries her hand at all kinds of pop music, which is never an easy thing to do, especially since most solo artists try to distance themselves from their band work. Some of the songs are mellow folk ballads, and that sound continues through to the middle of "11:11." Then we strike: "One For the Shareholder," a slow-burning dance number with fizzy little synth over a shimmying downbeat.

It's not a bad song; in fact, it almost straddles the divide between her melancholy pop and dancepop. But it comes up a little short. That song sticks out like a bit of a sore thumb, because then Taylor switches gears, back to the mellow folk-pop sound of before. It carries over into the delicate closer "Hitched."

Normally experimentation like that is the kiss of death for an artist. But Taylor carries it off by keeping constant factors in her music, like the swirling shoegazer guitars, touches of synth, piano, and melancholy lyrics that make you imagine summer and autumn in a college town, with friends you haven't seen for awhile.

Without straying too far from the folk-pop sound that people expect from her, Maria Taylor creates a unique, intimate little solo album. Pretty, sweet and wistful.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delicate pop gems, June 17, 2005

By 

cagey - See all my reviews

This review is from: 11:11 (Audio CD)

I tuned into "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on KCRW to listen to Maria Taylor's live session in May. I had never heard of Azure Ray before but I had heard her new song "Leap Year" a couple of times and I liked it so I thought it would give me a good chance to discover some of her other material. After the first minute of her session opener, "Xanax", I was nearly floored. It's a slow paced, confessional anthem with dreamy, swirling guitars vaguely reminding me of dreampop band Slowdive of all things. I bought the album mostly for that song and "Leap Year". So I was even more surprised when the rest of the songs were nothing like "Xanax" but were more of an alt-country flavor. "Birmingham 1982" tries to capture the simplicity of childhood and innocence, "Two of Those Too" is a gentle reminiscence of her move to Athens GA., "Song Beneath The Song" is a steady chugging pop number that in a perfect world would be radio hit. And "One For The Shareholder" is a quirky (for this album) dance-pop number that at first seems out of place but somehow after a while fits right in and I find myself looking forward to hearing it in the middle of the album.And, for me at least, "Leap Year" is THE perfect summer song, the one to listen to with the windows rolled down on your way to the softball game.

This album is destined to please fans of good songwriting and delicate singing, a simple album telling stories that many can relate to.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hauntingly beautiful..amazing lyrics, May 28, 2005

By 

Sarah Mulchand (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 11:11 (Audio CD)

I saw Maria (and her gorgeous sister Kate) at the Knitting Factory last month when she opened for Ben Lee. I told her after the show, "as soon as your album comes out, I'm buying it." She was very gracious and true to my word, I got it from Amazon the day after it came out.

This is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. If you are a fan of Conor's ("Bright Eyes") you will love this album too! My favorite songs are probably "Leap Year", "Nature Song", "Lighthouse", "Xanax", and "Speak Easy".

If you are considering buying this album, stop considering and just buy it. you won't regret it, this album is top quality. maria taylor's lulling vocals and genuine lyrics are an angelic blessing. my real question is..what is 11/11 mean?