Customer Reviews

Below the Fold

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Otis Taylor is an island unto himself. Where does he exactly fit in the contemporary blues scene? Truly an artist who can't be pigeonholed. His "TRANCE BLUES" continues to spark debate. Otis Taylor obviously doesn't suffer fools gladly. Great art makes you think, feel and yes, sometimes squirm. Anyone wishing for singalongs and an occasional chorus are in the wrong place. Thought provoking and powerful. THINK, FEEL AND BUY THIS CD!!

When I heard Otis Taylor's 2003 "Truth Is Not Fiction" CD, I was knocked out by a startling and totally new take on blues music. Hearing the 2005 "Below The Fold," I am concerned that Taylor has written himself into a prematurely dead end. The production and instrumentation continues to be exceptionally innovative, modern, and the opposite of blues fossilized in either '30's Delta shacks or '50's Chicago blues bars. But it must be said, the songs are melodically sounding too much the same as prior efforts -- no matter how well-disguised by different and unusual (for blues) instrumental backing.

Like John Lee Hooker, Otis Taylor knows how to work a one-chord vamp. But as elemental as Hooker was, even with his one-chord vamps (some of which were upbeat boogies, which does help), his albums did not feel this constricted in what is becoming musically formulaic (albeit, a formula that is Taylor's alone). I am betting that Otis Taylor is creative and talented enough to break free, with his best songs still ahead of him. I really hope he doesn't let the "jam band" circuit imprison his creativity. No complaints at all here about his lyrics (some folks will never tolerate his subject matters), which remain fierce and compelling. But if the music isn't interesting, for me poetry or prose is just not enough.