Search - Louise Taylor :: Velvet Town

A Room Full of Blind Men

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 03/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Louise Taylor continues her evolution as an important artist. The sound of her new CD might be described as "Bonnie Raitt unplugged," although it is distinctly Louise Taylor. The arrangements are spare with each track distinct & excellent. Her previous CD "Written In Red" was dark in tone. "Velvet Town" seems to have travelled through the darkness and sits at that early twilight before morning, drenched in blue. The images she uses repeatedly are of rain, sun & wind, natural elements reflecting the emotional climate.From the languid guitar of the opening track "Something Like This," we know Louise is not in a hurry. On "If I Had A Dream," Richard Gates' electric bass pulses as Louise wails with such exquisite sadness, "A charade in a room full of blind men at the carnival of fear." Eugene Uman's moody piano plays almost a minute before Louise's forlorn vocal begins on the title track. My favorite is the perky "Call My Name" with Dean Sharp's unusual percussion & Louise's percolating guitar putting a smile on your face. "I'd Be Dancing" is a blue track (distinct from "the blues" -- this is folk music), a little over a minute long. "Midnight Rain" has a military march rhythm about a soldier and his wife, each who feels more safe in the arms of the other. "Maps of Venice" articulates conflicting emotions, "His radiant optimism born of a long accustomed desperation." "Muddy Hudson" is a pensive track while "Fire Box Coal Train" has freight train rhythms & a taste of Louise's slide guitar. "Strike the Set" uses theatre images to communicate a sense of loss, something ending & over. "Don't be fooled; you're just deep in a dream," Louise sings on the jazz-inflected "Only the Wind." "Little Collette" is a pretty ballad about a girl who likes other women's men. The CD concludes with the sparse lounge track "Simply," complete with a French lyric. "Velvet Town" is a moody, blue, sweet, slow excellent set. There's not a great toe tapper here like "Silver Locket" from her "Ruby Shoes" CD. The music is elegant; and Louise Taylor has a smoky alto that'll warm the darkest night. Enjoy!"