Chip Taylor’s songs have a way of making you feel at home anywhere in the World.
There are not a heck of a lot of songwriters that can pull that off folks.
On his new album A Song I Can Live With Taylor again cuts to the heart of the matter.
The first two songs Crazy Girl and Until it Hurts flesh out a sublime mix that blends J.J. Cale Johnny Cash and Taylor’s genuine spoken word storytelling.
Only Taylor can reference a treadmill, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Eric Anderson and honesty and make it stick in your heart.
That folks is the magic of Chip Taylor aka James Wesley Voight.
The texture that multi-instrumentalist/piano player Goran Grini adds to the songs brings them to a whole new level.
In fact with John Platania (yes one time Van Morrison brilliant guitarist) adding such killer dynamics on tracks such as Save Your Blues And Your Money and Little Angel Wings it’s up to Taylor to infuse any song with genuine warmth and often humour.
The Title track is a heartbreaking number in a Kris Kristofferson vibe that every songwriter would love to have written.
Without question anyone seeking out this album MUST first check out Taylor’s brilliant opus Little Brothers probably one of the best written albums of the last five years.
Make no mistake A Song I Can Live With is not rock n’ roll.
It’s acoustic roots supreme.
John Emms is a veteran music journalist, Sun Media/Post Media contributor, songwriter and blues rock bandleader with THE SHAFTMEN
JOHN IS ON TWITTER
JOHN EMMS MUSIC REVIEWS 