Customer Reviews

Melvin Taylor & Slack Band

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Heard "Voodo Chile" at a friend's house (was doing a comparism to Hendrix - I think Melvin Taylor's version is much better from a technical point of view, you can actually hear the bass...) - also his technique is so smooth, so fluid it took my breath away! Also had a listen to "All You Love (I Miss Loving)", having been brought up on the Mayall (Bluesbreakers) version, and again was blown away by Taylor's version. So, I just had to have it (and the other CDs as well :> ) - whd

This is an album that sits on my shelf next to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmy Hendrix for he is truly of their kind. His powerful yet lirical guitar playing can calm you or work you into a rage. I cannot believe he is not more famous.

I had the pleasure of seeing Melvin Taylor in a local blues club a few years ago. He is a guitarist who does mostly blues but he'll mix in a little rock and jazz also ("Tequila" on this CD). His playing style will remind you of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Albert King and he does songs associated with all 3 of those artists on this CD.

On this 1995 CD, he has 3 original compositions as well as the blues and rock covers. He can really play the guitar well and he will stretch out on a few solos. Taylor really deserves a lot more attention and recognition but like many bluesmen, he plays to a smaller audience. Here's hoping this spreads the word a little more!

jimi passed it to stevie, and now that torch has been passed to melvin taylor. which means that melvin also has influences from freddie king, albert king, t-bone walker to name a few. but don't get the wrong idea. these guys put the wow in power trio. i was blown away when i heard this cd. he has taken the torch, tweaked it his own way, and he is going to make it burn hot. play this disc and you will both amaze and astound your friends.

As soon as this cd starts you'll get blown away at this guy's licks. AWESOME electric guitar solos. Great effects and lots of wah-wah. Slow blues - rockers - and instumentals. If you're into guitar a-la Hendrix, this is the guy for you!

This CD is one of my favorites. Melvin Taylor is the best guitar player alive in my opinion and I have seen them all. KWS, Jonny Lang, Indigenous and none of these young guys can hold a candle to Melvin Taylor. Only man alive that should be compared to Hendrix and SRV.

Nothing compares to seeing Melvin Taylor live with your own eyes. As far as his albums go though, this is probably his best. The CD contains plenty of mind-boggling guitar solos, but Melvin displays his whole range here too. We've heard "Tin Pan Alley" lots of times, but never like this. Melvin is by far the most underrated, under-appreciated, and unknown guitarist of all time. He elevates the instrument to another level, much the way Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan did. The comparison is well-deserved. "Dirty Pool" is another excellent album, but this is probably his best, at least until Alligator Records realizes what it has on its hands, and releases a live album. Of course, there is nothing that compares to catching Melvin live at Rosa's on Chicago's west side. Buy this album, and discover one of the most astonishing instrumentalists of all-time.

What a great guitarist Melvin Taylor is! as I already suggested in my `Rendezvous with the Blues' review here in Amazon reviews section and how like me his records in spite of pedal and vibrato in excess he uses sometimes in his performances but he is undoubtedly one of the greatest current electric guitarist. This `Melvin Taylor & the slack band' record is no an exception than the others, although has a greater Blues orientation using a guitar trio format, I think it lacks of inspiration in spite of the very good themes inside. I like his originals `Depression Blues', `Talking to Anna Mae', the Robert Geddins's cover `Tin Pan Alley' and Aaron Walker's (the great T-Bone walker) cover `T-Bone shuffle' where does he prove and does achieve to play the Blues frankly well specially in the very good instrumental second one. In a middle distance I also like Otis Rush's `All your love (all miss loving)' and Albert King's `Don't Throw your love on me so strong'.

As for Larry Davis's `Texas Flood' and Jimi Hendrix's `Voodoo Chile (slight return) are spectaculars, are very good played but they have, for me, an excess of pyrotechnics.

The track what closes the album, well, is out of place in every Blues album. I give it 3,5 stars.

Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band can really generate some smokin' blues; however, Melvin Taylor lacks originality. He has been influenced so much by Albert King, B.B. King, etc., that he has no apparent style of his own. This album, however, is not much to judge his personal style on (all but three songs are covers).

Melvin Taylor can play blues, though, and he plays blues extremely well. Even though he was influenced by greats, Melvin Taylor could stand by himself as being one of the only artists who can mix all of the greats and emulate them well.

The album itself is mostly covers, all of which are artfully done and very true to form. Every track is absolutely filled with blues guitar solos and licks that will make even the well-listened blues fan's head spin. Some covers like the "T-Bone Shuffle" and "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong" have been very well redone. A good buy.

I like Taylor's own 'Depression Blues' where he produces something new and the standard 'Tin Pan Alley' where he doesn't try to play at a million miles an hour. Obviously a guitarist with potential, but he needs to learn that more is not usually better. An example is 'All Your Love' which starts out fresh and interesting, then loses its way in attempted pyrotechnics. He even closes the album with a putrid song totally out of balance with the rest of the tracks (similar to SRV).