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Guitarist, song writer and producer of Eurythmics fame, Dave Stewart knew that he had made the talent find of a lifetime when he encountered Joanne Shaw Taylor. “Last year I heard something I thought I would never hear,” he remarks of that meeting. “A British white girl playing blues guitar so deep and passionately it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!”
Just sixteen at the time, Taylor toured Europe with Stewart’s super group D.U.P in 2002. When a record deal turned sour because the label went bankrupt her trademark determination and dedication turned disappointment into opportunity. “I wanted to take time out to really work on my craft and make sure that when I did an album it was the best that I could do,” she comments.
Guitars and guitar-based music were the norm around the Taylor home in Birmingham, England. A painfully shy child who struggled at school, Taylor found escape in the instrument. She started classical guitar lessons at eight switching to electric when one appeared under the family Christmas tree when she was thirteen.
Once Taylor discovered the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins, there was no hesitation in her choice of career. As she states, “That was the lifestyle route that I was going to go down. It was never a hobby. I was always very serious and dedicated to it.” Blues music brought a new freedom to Taylor’s playing. Its focus on self-expression rather than self-absorption appealed to her intellect. “I think it’s the one genre that really allows you to use your guitar as a voice for your personality,” she opines.
Literally 10 years in the making and one of the most impressive debuts in years, Taylor released White Sugar on Ruf Records in 2009. It garnered huge press. Blues Matters extolled her as “the new face of the blues,” while Guitarist Magazine raved that,”She plays with more attitude and flair than most. Massive potential here. Inspiring.”
The CD is a validation of Taylor’s goal of becoming a “triple whammy” - good playing, good vocals, and good songs. A therapeutic undertaking, her nine original songs (some penned when she was fourteen) reflect an “autobiographical point of view.” A husky mix of Josh Stone and Dusty Springfield, Taylor underestimates the emotional persuasion of her vocals. “I don’t really understand my voice as an instrument so I rely heavily on feel and initiative,” she remarks modestly.
It is however as a guitarist that Taylor truly excels. Strikingly sculpted solos and gutsy blues rock may ring from her Fender Telecaster but Taylor steps well away from the pack with her understanding of dynamics. Instinctively she knows that there is more to passion than volume and that the suspense of a slow burning fuse can only heighten the climactic sonic detonation.
A compelling experience, Joanne Shaw Taylor throws herself into the moment. Take the advice of Blue Print Magazine. “Catch her live if you can, then you can say: I was there at the beginning.” www.joanneshawtaylor.com
Ken Wright
