SEAN TAYLOR
First Light
If you don’t already know Sean Taylor, he is a multi- instrumentalist, singer, guitarist, pianist, and harmonica player who manages to combine Blues, Americana, jazz, country and roots, as well as folk into his songwriting, and the variety on offer on the album demonstrates pretty much all of the above. If you weren’t familiar with his previous work, you may consider it an experimental album, but it is very much a case of a man happy to explore musical possibilities and capable of expressing himself well in each.
Having determined that there is a mix of traditions across the album, it’s also true of the lyrical themes. While several, such as the atmospheric opener and title track First Light and the closing Murmurations both celebrate and evoke the natural world, the later taking us out with the sound of the sea as the waves break on Brighton Beach, there are also a number of tracks that leave no doubt as to his feelings on the state of the world as it is. Little Donny Returns shows no love for the US president, his feelings undiminished, if not intensified since his 2017 offering ‘Little Donny’. Artificial Intelligence is one for those of us who despair/apoplexy by those audience members who consider their own conversations to be of greater importance and interest than allowing others to listen to the artist – though in fairness, Sean does use more robust language, which may preclude the radio airplay the track deserves. His concern for humanity is expressed in ‘Poverty’ and one of two carefully chosen covers, Victor Jara’s ‘Manifiesto’, taken from his posthumously released album following his murder by the Chilean regime. Sadly, his words and message still have a relevance today, over half a century later.
As earlier alluded to, there may be sharp references to much of who and what affects society, but there is also time for positivity and love. The former is contained within what could be considered another protest song, whilst the gently flickering and glittering ‘Everything’ supplies the latter.
If you are going to cover one of the most distinguished songs coming out from the folk world, you really should put your own stamp on it. So having chosen to include ‘All Along The Watchtower’ , one of his favourite songs, he has performed it in his own chosen way, pared back and languid, letting the characters breathe and the words tell the story, so other than the song itself, it is neither Dylan nor Hendrix, very much Walsh, though one assumes he could quite capably offer a tribute to either. As with the rest of the album, he is joined by a fine selection of additional musicians, in this instance Richard Moore’s fiddle and the bass of Mike Seal (who also co-wrote a couple of songs with Sean) underpinning the track but also bringing an element of jazz to the table. In other places, we enjoy the likes of Neil Langman’s bluesy hamonica and Brian Standafer’s cello adding highlights where Sean sees fit. There are shades of John Martyn, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and even Captain Beefheart in both the writing and singing – references that are largely self-confirmed on his Bandcamp page, and if that combination doesn’t excite you, then read no further!
Having opened for the likes of Richard Thompson, Eric Bibb, Robert Cray and John Mayall, and despite passing up the opportunity to channel his inner Jimi, it will come as no surprise that Sean knows his way around a guitar, which shines wherever it appears on the album. However, lockdown provided an opportunity to develop his piano playing and again this adds texture and flavour wherever it is deployed.
Overall, an album that defies categorisation, given the range of styles within but deserves to be filed as ‘a very rewarding listen’.
At the time of writing, Sean is visiting most parts of the UK. Catch him of you can!
Buy the CD from Sean's website
First Light