Almost Always Never

by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Overview

Joanne Shaw Taylor has the looks of a cherub, with a round baby face and a shock of blonde hair that makes her look even younger than her 26 years. But when she picks up her guitar and starts tearing into a tune, she channels the sweaty energy of a smoky blues bar at midnight. Her singing is just as gritty and soulful, a throaty growl that conveys the blistering emotions that are her stock in trade. She doesn't waste any time getting down to business. The album opens with "Soul Station," an ode to recovery and salvation, but the extended solo she lays down to close the tune sounds like a battle between angels and demons with its shrieking bent notes and searing distorted arpeggios. Having made her point with her opening volley, Taylor shows more restraint on the rest of the album, although her playing is always just as impressive. "You Should Stay, I Should Go" is a sparse R&B shuffle with some good Hammond B-3 by David Garza and a short sharp blues-rock solo. "Standing to Fall" is a slow funky rocker that includes a long break that plays off Taylor's short bursts of bent-note arpeggios against Garza's sideshow Hammond and Billy White's ominous bass guitar, while "Army of One" shows off her acoustic side with showers of quiet chiming notes set off by White's slide guitar work. The lyrics are the album's only weakness. Taylor's words are laden with cliches and awkward descriptions of dead-end relationships. Her powerful vocals and anguished pyrotechnics convey a world of pain and betrayal that her lyrics don't ever quite capture. ~ j. poet

Product Details

Release Date:	09/11/2012
Label:	Ruf Records
UPC:	0710347118121
Rank:	39417

Tracks

1. Soul Station
2. Beautifully Broken
3. You Should Stay, I Should Go
4. Piece of the Sky
5. Army of One
6. Jealousy
7. Almost Always Never
8. Tied & Bound
9. A Hand in Love
10. Standing to Fall
11. Maybe Tomorrow
12. Lose Myself to Loving You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Joanne Shaw Taylor   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Electric)
Billy White   Bass
David Garza   Piano,Mandolin,Wurlitzer,Fender Rhodes
J.J. Johnson   Drums

Technical Credits

David Garza   Additional Music
Jim Vollentine   Engineer
Mike McCarthy   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Frankie Miller   Composer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering
Joanne Shaw Taylor   Composer,Additional Music
Shervin Lainez   Photography
Michael Van Merwyk   Artwork
Dan Gerbarg   Mastering
Kevin Bowe   Composer
Barry Taylor   Management