Pentatonic Wars & Love Songs

Otis Taylor | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 23, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B0026S1XAK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,039 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Blues Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 23-JUN-2009

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hats off to Mr. Taylor, July 7, 2009

By 

E. Taylor Atkins (Sycamore, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pentatonic Wars & Love Songs (Audio CD)

I've been a fan of Otis Taylor's music since White African and Respect the Dead. Those albums had a raw power that was missing from so much contemporary blues. Taylor combines the best aspects of the blues at its most "primitive" musically and lyrically, as exemplified by John Lee Hooker -- wicked riffs and dark grooves, relatively stark and simple lyrics that search out new wrinkles and nuances with each repetition. To these he added new instrumental textures (electric mandolin, for instance) and a sophisticated command of African-American history, with which he constructed story-songs. With each subsequent album, he has pushed himself as an arranger and added new instrumentation: cellos, violins, cornet, organ, trap drums, and here on Pentatonic Wars, African hand drums. This tendency always makes me approach a new Otis Taylor album with trepidation. I'm not always sure I like it as instantly as I did White African. BUT repeated listens have always proven Mr. Taylor's genius. By the third listen, I'm totally in awe of his abilities to maintain those core elements that first drew me to his music, while still expanding his range as a musician and arranger.

I used to DJ a public radio blues program in downstate Illinois. Whenever I played country blues or piano blues, someone would call in and complain; they had a very narrow sense of what "blues" is, meaning they insisted on loud electric guitar solos and thought Chicago blues was all there was. If you are one of "those" people, don't bother with Otis Taylor. But if you can accept blues as a sensibility rather than a "genre" of music, Otis Taylor is your man. I will continue to give him my money and let him guide me on his blues journey.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Beautiful, September 12, 2009

By 

R.L. Marcus (Roseville, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pentatonic Wars & Love Songs (Audio CD)

This cd has some of the most beautiful music I have heard in a long time. And if you have a CD player or receiver that decodes HDCD it is even better (yes, it is recorded in HDCD but not labeled as such - at least with my eyes). The music is dreamy, the sounds float in and out and tickle your brain. I have 4 other CDs and to me, this is the best yet. I saw Otis and band at the Bayfront Blues Festival in August - Otis, Cassie Taylor, Anne Harris and Chuck Campbell. It was a highlight of the weekend. I did not know this CD was released before that. So glad I found out. Amazing live, amazing recorded.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly Otis' Best - Definitely not the same stuff, April 14, 2010

By 

Kenneth N. Fricklas (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pentatonic Wars & Love Songs (Audio CD)

I'm an old Otis fan, and really have enjoyed his last few albums. However if you're looking for something a little quieter, this is great, possibly the best of the bunch. Also for the high-end audio fans out there, an extremely well recorded and produced album.