Dave's Music #71 Taylor Rae - Mad Twenties
I'm in such a great position with so much new music to listen to, so the difference maker in deciding what to share in a review sometimes is timing and desire to slow down and listen closely to an artist. I find myself drawn to Taylor Rae. She's been a new follow for me since Kathy Mattae posted this:
I trust Kathy immensely, and quickly bought Taylor's release during the May Bandcamp. The more I listen and followed her during her tour that she played solo, the more I was yearning to book her to a house concert. I posted one of her videos and she responded, she would love that! Awesome... some day.
Now since I loved Bonnie Raitt since the 70's I was expecting a little more slide guitar and oh my those brown eyes; maybe she's our next generation Linda Ronstadt.
Well if she was just a pretty woman, I wouldn't be writing this blog, let's get to some music.
1) Window
The release starts nice and slow, and a woman who seems comfortable in sitting alone looking out a window contemplating. The track does use efficiently just a touch of keys to give it a light jazz feel.
The video captures the mystical magic that comes from the induced inspiration.
2) Home on the Road
This one has the slide guitar and Raitt feel, plus she's got the road groove going too with a little hammond organ too.
And it comes with a great produced video:
3) Fixer Upper
This one of my top two favorite songs, and I was reminded that her CD images had a link to stories, and I'll share this one in its entirety, but please go ahead and browse: https://www.taylorraemusic.com/blog
“Fixer Upper,” in my opinion, is my best song. The whole thing was written, start to finish, in under twenty minutes. I was sitting alone in my cabin in Santa Cruz in December of 2019 when I felt the sudden need to write the story of how my partner (at the time) and I had fallen in love. At this point we had been together for five years but for some reason I had never written about how we met.
Our story started in Los Angeles. I was 20 years old, he was 23. We had been working on music together for about a year, recording albums and trying to get my band off and running in the scene there. There was one day in particular where all of the sudden it clicked - which is what the first verse describes. At the time, let’s just say it was taboo for us to be together. We tried to rationalize our emotions and fight the feelings because in order to be together we would have had to basically throw dynamite into the middle of our lives and my band- which of course we ended up doing. The imagery used in the song describes LA. The “canyon” refers to Laurel Canyon - we used to free fall down those hills in his 78 Datsun. The endless rows of palms in the San Fernando Valley, the waves on the beaches in Malibu. The album I refer to in verse two is “AM” by Arctic Monkeys. But most importantly, I used the term “Fixer Upper” for myself because at that time I was very broken. I had been in a relationship previously that was extremely toxic and he helped me out of it, as a friend. The parallel meaning is also that he was/is an extremely handy person. He was always drawn to run down cars, houses, and things that he could rebuild with his hands. We ended up leaving our lives in LA and running away to Santa Cruz where we could be together - although that did not come without repercussions. This love story did not have a fairy tale ending but I am so grateful to have shared those pivotal years of my twenties “growing up,” so to speak, with this person.
Recording this song was very cathartic for me. What once was a song soaked in love and nostalgia turned into a melancholy memoir of our relationship. Sometimes I joke and say that my punishment for all the mistakes I made in that relationship would be that I have to play this song for the rest of my life - and his would be that he has to hear it! All jokes aside, it still remains one of my favorite songs. Will and Michelle (the producers) and the whole team of musicians and engineers cared for this song gently and really captured the magic within it. I am so grateful for that.
After finishing the song in December of 2019 I sat back and looked at it in awe. It is ironic that only six months after writing it we would end our five and a half year relationship. It doesn’t feel coincidental. Songwriters reading this will understand the feeling of not even having written it - but just simply being the vessel in the right place at the right time. It was my honor to be the one to bring it to life.
Of course if it's her favorite, there has to be a video; and we're all lucky for that.
4) Sink or Swim
Another gentle melancholy song about how hard she is to date...
Plus I found another great video to go with the song.
5) Letting You Go
If you think she breaks up a lot, maybe she gets how to write about them.
If you like the sound of this song, this might be why.... Taylor describes it:
The producer, Will, and I took on the influences of strong female voices for the recording of this one. We told the band to go for a Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Grace Potter feel. They totally nailed it. This is one of my favorite tracks. Singing this one feels so empowering.
6) Never Gonna Do
Taylor definitely has a Steve Earle groove on this rocker, love the use of the mandolin in the piece; and the percussion top notch! Like she says in her blog... Crank it up.
7) 5:25
Another nice gentle little groove and a great time song; I'd love a playlist about times and this one would be front and center. Again Taylor's words are cool about the song:
The song title “5:25” refers to the time of day as well as my age.
In the first verse:“It’s 5:25 now, and my train hasn’t come.” - The train being a symbol for my music career.
In the bridge:“I’m trying to find 5 in 25” - Meaning age five in age twenty-five.
I love the Bossa Nova groove the band and I found on this one. It adds the perfect feeling of bittersweetness to the push and pull of the melody. There is a dissonance in the music that reflects the unsettled feeling we all experience at that age.
8) Just Be
Definitely my favorite song off the release, and has sparks memories of Raitt's early stuff.
Yep solo for a house concert that would sound like this... I'm all in.
9) Something Familiar
Yes... she's smoothly gliding back in a soft jazz, just a little hazy; I could see waiting for her in retro coffee house.
10) Forgiveness
An early relationship song, that guitar playing boy needs to grow up and start treating women right.
11) Wait and See
The studio version has such a great sound, and the video is fun recording session in a Vintage Clothing shop and nice to hear about her tour. Yes the picture above is from this video, and I could drown in those brown eyes.
12) Taking Space
The release ends with a gentle song and I love the sound of her Taylor guitar... fitting Taylor plays a Taylor guitar. Of course, you put out an official video it has to be shared.
This might is as close to an official video of her solo... love it... added this when I added the bonus concert at the end.
The official video:
Then while I'm writing this blog I see Taylor post she's opening for Pokey LaFarge again this time in August when he hits the Midwest. I snagged 2nd table from stage at the Dakota Club. Dang.. my first time there, and first time seeing Taylor. I've seen Pokey one other time and this will be pretty special too.
Hope you loved the journey. You can find and follow us on Facebook and as always Good Music has NO Expiration Date, so if you are listening to this ten years from now, it still will be awesome music. If this is a first time visit, check out the index of themes for past Reviews and Playlist editions and for the Reviews alone, click here.
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I've been creating YouTube playlists for my posts lately, and after seeing Taylor last Friday I added both a playlist for this blog and a clip video from the Dakota, so here's a one click
Bonus update, here's Taylor on the radio via her Instagram page. She has a pretty unique fingering and strumming pattern, she's pretty seamless on the guitar... love she played "Fixer Upper"
