Search - Melvin Taylor & Slack Band :: Rendezvous With the Blues

Rendezvous With the Blues

Jackie Shaffer | Pacific Grove, CA | 09/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Melvin Taylor is a genious. He not only can conquer the Blues scene with his unparralleled mastery of the guitar, he can bridge into worlds of Jazz & R&B as shown evident on his latest RWB release, and keep you beggin' for more! Upon first hearing Melvin in person at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival, I was immediately struck with his style and ability...it was as close to a incarnation of Hendrix as any I've seen in the flesh! His combination of flash and ease into every movement reflects his creativity...taking already proven songs like Stephen Stills' Black Queen and adding his own zest, taking it to the next level. True the RWB album is primarily cover tunes, but then, why fix something if it isn't broke? Melvin prooves that what is already a great groove in one genre doesn't mean he can't cross the boundries and truly give it somethin' to talk about with his Bluesy flare and spin. Those who haven't seen him in person don't have a clue that the finest guitarist currently on the planet is neatly tucked away in Rosa's, cozy non-commercialized home-town bar in Chicago. You'll never regret one visit to Rosa's or any of Melvin's albums if you're a true connoisseur of fine Bluesmanship and you're not stuck on the idea that there's only one way to play it...just kick back and let the gift rip into your soul and treat yourself to the most unforgettable music experience you'll ever encounter!"

Strong New Effort

Jeff Mason | Boulder, Colorado USA | 07/11/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have been following Melvin and his music ever since the release of 1995's "Melvin Taylor & The Slack Band" CD. While I agree with Mr. Earley that he has "wandered" a bit of late as far as the musical styles he has tackled, I don't think you can fault Melvin for trying to tackle both Blues and Jazz; he's done it from the beginning and will likely continue to do so. After all, he cites both Jimi Hendrix and Wes Montgomery as key influences. I'll Play The Blues For You, released in 1985, is a VERY jazzy album; Dirty Pool is probably his least jazzy. Rendezvous...has a healthy sampling of each style but certainly has enough bluesy numbers to appeal to the diehard purists. While it's true that there aren't any original compositions to be found here, some of the arrangements are unique and very creative. "Help Me" sounds nothing like the Sonny Boy Williamson II original (it even has a few lines from the Lowel Fulsom classic Reconsider Baby thrown in for good measure) and Black Queen is transformed from an acoustic Stephen Stills romp to a wah drenched rocker. The playing overall is, to borrow from another reviewer, tasteful and full of tone. If Melvin is guilty of anything, it's occasionally playing a bit too frenetically, cramming in as many notes into a song as he possibly can. I find no such instances on this album, however. Standout cuts for me include the very bluesy Tribute To John Lee Hooker and Five Women. Who else could take a slow Prince number and turn into a fantastic bluesy groove. Overall a strong effort from one of the best (if not the best) guitarists around today. Catch him live if you can, he is a regular at Rosa's in western Chicago."

The Curse of Stevie Ray Vaughan disapates for Taylor

KIWRadioFREEblues | Omaha, Ne | 12/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"August 13, 2002

Artist: Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band

Title: Rendevouz with the Blues

Rating: Very Good



England's Hammer Studios shoulda shot a movie called,'The Blue Curse of Stevie Ray Vaughan.' Guaranteed to shorten any promising career, the "curse" is used by the clueless to infer speed and rocking tunes: the `curse' in invoked by those in the know to infer drool clone-like artistry. When listening to the current recordings of Chicago's Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band, including his latest, Rendevous with the Blues' on Evidence Records, Taylor no longer needs to fear an invocation of `the curse.' Taylor has clearly risen above the ebbing rip-tide of Vaughan's legacy and introduced a unique blend of Chicago blues and George Benson's jazz to the lexicon of modern music. Daring to go where no one has gone before, with rich full tone and a texture all his own, Taylor is embarking on career where few have the chops to follow.



According to Rolling Stone Magazine's website, Melvin Taylor is "One of the most exhilarating blues guitarists to emerge in the past decade, Melvin Taylor is more a blues innovator than a purist, mixing jazz chords and rock influences into his tapestry of electric blues. Born in Mississippi in `59, Taylor's family moved to Chicago when he was three. By age 12, the young guitarist had started jamming with his uncle and friends. In the early '80s, Taylor was asked to join the Legendary Blues Band (following the departure of Muddy Waters). In early 1995, Taylor signed with Evidence Records and released his first album in 11 years, simply titled Melvin Taylor and the Slack Band. The record began to turn heads and soon became the best-selling title in Evidence's catalog. Dirty Pool followed in 1997, further increasing his reputation as one of the best blues guitarist on the scene."



Seeing Taylor perform his defying over-the-necks lighting quick melodic runs live leads the listener to question why the artist has not quickly risen to the upper echelon of the club circuit. Being signed to an independent label, rarely playing clubs outside the Chicago area, and a history of substance abuse in the past have plagued his career. Taylor also asserts that racism has put hurdles in his path. With the past fading away, on his latest album, Rendezvous With the Blues, Taylor shows his skills as an truly gifted guitar player and song interpreter. Performing songs by John Lee Hooker, Herbie Mann, Gregg Allman, Sonny Boy Williamson, Prince, and ZZ Top, Taylor makes the songs his own by adding his jazzy touch and rock-hard riffs. Of special note is the guest appearance by Mato Naiji of Indigenous on two tracks including, `A Tribute to John Lee Hooker.' The cultural clash between Naiji's Austin-bend playing and Taylor's Benson-bend highlights just how far Taylor's sound and playing is from `the curse.'"