Customer Reviews

Written in Red

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Imagine a child having Bonnie Raitt and Greg Brown as parents. That child might be Louise Taylor. Her latest cd,"Written in Red", is her very best work yet. Her lyrics are dark , intriging, at times disturbing. Her voice has that smokey, chocolate sound that never gets tiring. Her guitar is perfectly matched to the tone and color of each piece. This entire cd is well written, beautifully performed, and well produced. It contains some of the best new music I've heard in a long time.

Louise Taylor is a complete original -a singer, songwriter, guitarist,and street poet who sings of souls tarnished by life's rough edges. The CD combines a buoyant mix of acoustic street blues with touches of folk and celtic soul that draws you in with such powerful energy you can't get the people she is singing about out of your head.

Possibly one of the most freshly original releases of the year - a real find for those who love their music original fresh and natural.

Louise Taylor has one of the most expressive voices recording today in acoustic music. At times her alto is reminiscent of Emmylou Harris. "Written In Red" is most often dark in tone, but with a struggle toward the lighter side, one illuminated by love. Using the George Washington story as a departure point, in the first track "Cherry Tree" Louise sings that she cannot tell a lie. For the rest of the CD, she delivers what is at times a painfully honest portrait of a woman struggling with the darker side of her nature. "Over the Mountain" is a deceptively beautiful tune about "where the angels play" and encourages us that it's "time to learn to pray," but these positive sentiments are undercut by a sinister electric guitar that wails with a plaintive roar. This is a brilliant track with a creative tension between lyric, melody & arrangement. "Meet You here" musically downsizes to just acoustic guitar & Louise's world-weary voice, "Living's lived up to my worst fears." The directness creates a musical honesty that is breathtaking. With "Two Bends in the Road" we finally get a needed break with happy guitar lines as Louise sings, "I never needed anybody so." "His Hands" is lyrically inventive, recounting the attraction to a man because of the beauty of his hands. "Miriam Bell" is a driving folk ballad about a poor girl used & discarded by a rich man, not a happy love song. "Gunny Hole" has some very tasty electric guitar in a song about a whaling town. Taylor gives about as boozy bluesy smokey barroom vocal in the title track as you're likely to hear. Singing about what a little morphine can do, the imagery that the closing sign is "written in red" makes one almost taste the blood on the tracks. "My Dove" is a pretty folk tune with what sounds like a flute playing a Gregorian chant. "Stubborn as a Gun" is one of the best melodies on the CD. Taylor sings, "Somebody ought to point me in a new direction" because this road is the "way to the blue connection." "While My Love Is Away" closes with a bright piano, a pretty melody, and Louise's alto, about as beautiful and expressive as you're likely to hear. As a writer, Taylor's lyrics are stronger than her melodies; but as a singer & arranger, all combine for an impressive, honest musical achievement. This CD is on the dark side, one of the best of 2000. Don't miss out!

Louise Taylor is simply one of the best kept secrets in acoustic music. Her music is blues influenced, but also includes touches of celtic, jazz and even country. She has a unique, rythmic style of guitar-playing and one of the most distinctive, souful voices around.

"Written In Red" is her best album yet. It begins with "Cherry Tree" a stunning acoustic blues duet with Canadian bluesman Ray Bonneville. Other highlights include the Bonnie Raitt-like "Two Bends In The Road" and the celtc fired murder story "Miriam Belle". This is one of the year's best songwriter albums.

I'd also recommend Louise' 1997 album, RIDE.

The only problem with "Written in Red", like "Ride", is that it doesn't go one forever. Louise Taylor writes with a softly wry wit that permits repeated listening without getting old. Some songs (like "His Hands") are instant "Old Favorites"; others are new ones and take some breaking in, like a new pair of jeans --- but once you are in them, you don't want to get out.
This is an album that you will not regret adding to your collection, and one that will stay in it for a long, long time.