Customer Reviews

White Sugar

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this CD mainly for curiosity. I did not know anything about this young artist even if she is British. I have to say that I am pleased I did it. White Sugar is a very solid blues/rock CD and Joanne displays all her ability as guitar player and singer. It looks pretty evident that SRV and Albert King are her main influences. Her style is reminiscent of the sound of the two great players of the past and this is really clear in the two excellent slow numbers included in the mix. Listening to Time Has Come you will surely be able to recognise two or three licks very distinctive of Albert's style while in Blackest Day, that is also in my view the best song of the album, the influence of the great SRV is very strong. Having said that I would like to point out that Joanne guitar playing is really very good and her soloing is always well balanced and inspired. I would like also to add that she is a good singer too, and this is a plus that is not so common in the business. In conclusion a very enjoyable album that will please blues and rock/blues aficionados.

Attention all Blues Fans!...Caution: Molten Hot Female Blues! I like Susan Tedeschi like the next guy, but Holy Smokes! I don't even know what to say. I read about this woman in the best rock magazine on the planet, Classic Rock Magazine, picked it up and it's just Too Hot, Too Hot Too Handle as the old UFO song goes. A caucasian Brit female playing white hot Blues...a rare bird indeed. I'm hooked! It's like Joe Bonnamassa, Jonny Lang, Susan Tedeschi, Robert Cray and Bonnie Raitt all rolled into one. Highly recommended.

I'm pretty new to JST but have heard her name mentioned on some message boards. Well, I'm sold now that I've listened to White Sugar. I agree with other comments of a voice like Susan Tedeschi or Bonnie Raitt, combined with the ability to smoke on the guitar at or near the level of any of the top players (Bonamassa, Mayer, Trucks, Lister, etc.). This plus great songwriting and a sound from blues to bluesrock but with a pop sensibility. This lass from England is a real blues star on the rise.

Dang. Shoot. This babe is one of the hottest blues guitarists (male or female) I've heard in a real long time and, believe me, I'm always on the look out for new talent. Thanks to Amazons fuzzy logic programs I have been turned on to Tab Benoit, Tinsley Ellis, Walter Trout, and Tommy Castro to name a few ...

I tell you this though .. Joanne Shaw Taylor blew me out of my own sofa last night and I kept saying to myself ...this is not possible ... this is not possible ... how can a 23 year old WHITE girl from Birmingham, England, sound like this. Man. She is Buddy Guy in drag. An old old soul in a white women's body. Listen to her chops, licks, runs, harmonics and solos .... all so crisp and deadly and played with a firey passion ... If she stays on track ...this "freak-of-nature" will become a blues megastar ... Do yourself a favour and just get it.

This is a great blues/rock album from start to finish. Excellent riffs, vocals, and even a few great solos. The last song is the best in my opinion but, then again, I tend to go for longer songs with big instrumental sections. If you like modern blues, buy this album!

I bought this CD after just hearing the small bits of music. After listening to the whole CD there isn't a 'bad' song on the album. Her guitar solos' are great, lots of feeling, and her vocals just seem to fit right in with her guitar work. "Blackest Day" has a long and great solo. I highly recommend you add this album to anyone's collection, this CD has a 2009 date, so I'm going to look for more...

I bought this CD because I was searching for updates on Susan Tedeschi and saw some comparison to Ms. Taylor. She is a fine guitar player, and a nice young female blues talent. But I disagree with some of the other reviews here that think her singing is especially good. She has nowhere near the power, range, or pitch of Tedeschi. Taylor's voice is often flat, such as in "Who do you want me to be." The conversation between voice and guitar on "Time has come" is terrific on the guitar side, but the vocals can't match the guitar quaility. Taylor's guitar is potent, with great picking, but comparisons to SRV aren't justified since Taylor doesn't have SRV's speed. Still - Taylor is very promising and I'll be buying more of her music.

I was looking for a good blues/rock guitar CD and found this. Outstanding!

I had bought some Eric Clapton, BB King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Buddy Guy CDs but none resonate with me nearly as much as Joanne Shaw Taylor does. It may because she's got a rock sound to her blues, like Stevie Ray Vaughn (who she references as an influence in her YouTube interview on her MySpace page [...]). Perhaps it is because her songs are not about such depressing blue topics. Nobody is drunk or cheating or in jail.

I debated whether to give this 4 or 5 stars. I decided to give her guitar playing a 5 because it's strong and full of heart, not because it is flawlessly perfect, and I give her singing a 4 because she doesn't enunciate her consonants in places so I cannot always tell what she is singing. I had no choice to round the overall review up to 5 because it inspired me to pull out the guitar I bought in 1992 and start taking lessons again. The guitar playing just resonates with me.

I recently caught one of Joanne's live shows in Annapolis, MD. I was immediately impressed with her aggressive, passionate guitar playing. This girl can definitely play the blues! The only thing I was disappointed about was that she didn't have any CD's for sale at the show. So, I found her latest release on Amazon and ordered it. It's been in my CD player ever since. If you're a blues fan, you'll love this one!

I've been looking for something new since Joe Bonnamassa has cooled down. By chance, I came accross this Blues "Phenom"!!! She is fantastic, the playing, the writing, the voice. Joanna Shaw Taylor is a triple threat, squared. I ordered this disc not expecting to fall in love, well, I did! Since receieving the disc about a month ago, I have not taken it out of my player even once. I can't wait for her next installment of sheer musical treats.