4.0 out of 5 stars
... and 1/2.... I was impressed with this young man's virtuosity and vitality, January 22, 2007
This review is from: Todd Taylor (Audio CD)
Playing Time - 61:45
Songs - 1. Foggy Mtn. Special, 2. Jo Ban, 3. Washington County, 4. Gold Tone Jubilee, 5. Unleashed, 6. John Hardy, 7. Ghost Riders, 8. Shuckin the Corn, 9. Stairway to Heaven, 10. Dixie Breakdown, 11. El Cumbanchero
Notes in Todd Taylor's "Taylor Made" album include Mark Twain's famous quote about the banjo...you know the one about breaking out your hide like the pin-feather pimples on a picked goose. Well, with this inspiration to set the stage, Todd Taylor does a mighty fine job invoking "the glory-beaming banjo!" on this all-instrumental effort. He has some innovative licks and demonstrates various techniques on the 5-string (Scruggs style, melodic, and single string). His repertoire pays tribute to the music of Earl Scruggs, Kenny Baker, Don Reno, Hugh Tomasson and even Led Zeppelin. At the same time, about half of the CD is made up of Taylor's originals, and one can see why he was nominated for a 2004 Grammy for "Blazin' Bluegrass Banjo." John McEuen wrote the liner notes for "Taylor Made."
On stage since age 6, Taylor performed with his twin brother (Allen) as the "Taylor Twins." They appeared with Bill Monroe, Carl Story, Roy Acuff and others. Todd lights a fire on his five-string, but one should look beyond just the breakneck licks. The musician finds his stylistic footing by expanding into non-bluegrass genres (Latin, new acoustic, western, and rock). While every banjo-player worth his salt cuts his teeth on far like Foggy Mountain Special, Dixie Breakdown, Washington County, Shuckin' the Corn, and John Hardy, the task at hand becomes one of incorporating innovative interpretive twists to make these recorded tunes your own. That's why Taylor's best material is built around his own originals (Jo Ban, Gold Tone Jubilee, Unleashed) or his renderings of "El Cumbanchero" or "Stairway to Heaven." Unfortunately, his 6-minute rendition of "Ghost Riders" gets a bit mundane and tedious, especially without lyrics included. After one round of banjo, dobro, and fiddle interplay, the song actually stops and starts again with another 3-minute round. Despite this reviewer's opinion, I'm told that the tune is getting rave reviews and airplay.
Taylor's arrangements tend to use the fade-out to end his songs. He does this to be different and so that his music can be used in major movies (ie. Roadkill). At times, Taylor's accompanists seem challenged to cleanly match his exceptional musicianship. I also felt that Todd's rhythm guitar sits a little too dominantly in the overall mix in places. Minimal album shortcomings aside, I was impressed with this young man's virtuosity and vitality. Accompanists include Bo Frazier (fiddle, mandolin), Mike Moody or Ken Parker (bass), and Steve Thorpe (dobro). Look for Todd Taylor and his Gold Tone. He shows us that he's a very daring young man with a lot of confidence and musical skill. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
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