Joanne Shaw Taylor Black & Gold
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Black & Gold
Journeyman
British blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Joanne Shaw Taylor (JST) continues to work collaboratively with Joe Bonamassa, issuing Black & Gold on his record label while continuing to work with Kevin Shirley as producer. In my review of her last year’s Heavy Soul, I remarked on how far she has progressed in her songwriting. Her guitar skills are so well documented, she has little to prove there. Instead, she continues her songwriting evolution by adding different genre sheens to her foundation of blues-rock. Said another way, she is moving into the pop world with some in this batch of mostly radio-friendly new songs. With each album, JST’s vocals are stronger, and Shirley does an admirable job of centering them in the mix. Black & Gold is her tenth studio album and thirteenth overall.
JST, originally discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics as a teenager, made her mark as one of the unique and engaging guitarists in blues-rock. Her singular style sets her apart from the rest in the field, which is often bogged down in cliches, over-shredding, and overreaching. Her spiraling, exploratory solos have long impressed me. As she continues to mold the singer-songwriter aspect of her artistry, we could call this her second ‘singer-songwriter’ as she again records in RCA Studio A in Nashville, which just breathes those strains within those hallowed walls.
She is working with some of the city’s best musicians, including drummer Anton Fig, bassist Alison Priestwood, keyboardist Jimmy Wallace, and master guitarists Doug Lancio and Audley Freed. Bonamassa and violinist Savannah Madigan guest on two separate tracks each. JST penned or co-wrote nine of these eleven. She has been building up to this album release, having already issued about half of the tracks.
Opener “Hold of My Heart” has the protagonist reluctant to come right out directly to express fully committed love. Set to a stomping, infectious beat, and screaming guitar in the breaks, JST delivers a memorable chorus – “Every fire gets its start from a little old spark/And right now you got good old hold on my heart” over Madigan’s violin. It’s one of several confessional songs that leave the impression that she has lived these experiences, such as “All The Things I Said,” where she misses a former lover, pondering on what she should have said instead. Bonamassa’s guitar solo here is crisp and in service to the song, unlike some, where he just completely goes unleashed. There’s a repetitive ‘pop’ in the vocal choruses, though that is overdone. She puts her stamp on Sam Sparro’s 2008 Grammy-nominated hit, the title track, giving it gospel-like vocal treatment combined with her scorching guitar.
Bonamassa’s piercing guitar returns tastefully again on the pleading “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now,” the requisite breakup song. JST increases her rage, complete with relentlessly surging axe work on “I Gotta Stop Letting You Let Me Down.” Make no mistake, this is the defiant blues-rock side of her persona as typified in this lyric, which has every bit of anger conveyed in her blistering guitar – “I could have been the one/If you’d have wanted me to/But you’re too small/ And she’s young & shiny/Brand fucking new.” “Summer Love” tells the story of another fleeting romance but in a far more carefree, poppy way. She intentionally wrote a roll-down-the-windows-and-blow-back-your-hair tune for those blissful summer drives, conjuring a seasonal love that was destined to end in September no matter what. Another single, “Grayer Shade of Blue” exudes more soulful tones but remains in the confessional arena. While the title may be a play on the title “Whiter Shade of Pale,” her tune is not as melancholy but deeply personal just the same. It’s cathartic as she explains – “This song is about a close friendship I had for over a decade that ended suddenly. I’ve never known why. The person just stopped communicating with me, which understandably has made me very sad. This song was my attempt to give myself some closure on the situation as evidently, none will; be given to me otherwise… I’m very happy now to close that chapter in my life but still be able to cherish memories.”
Yet these songs are not all about confessional aspects of a relationship. “Hell of a Good Time,” like the title implies, is just flat-out rip-roaring blues-rock. She wraps up what might well be her most fully realized album yet with “Look What I’ve Become,” maybe the deepest confessional one of all, reflecting on addiction, isolation, and the crossroads crisis of deciding whether to persevere or just fold the cards, capped by the devastating line – “I’m nothin now but numb.” “What Are You Gonna Go Now” does not appear on the vinyl version, but that’s not a major loss, as it sounds very similar to others. She ends on a high note, embracing her British roots with a cover of The Faces’ “Love Lives Here,” paying it off with a soaring, signature guitar solo.
- Jim Hynes
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