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This is not your daddy's blues record.
What this is is a collection of truths spilled from the mouth
of an amazingly graceful songwriter… All put to a soundtrack
of a unique hybrid blues-country-folk sound much more reminiscent
of the early Velvet Underground records than say…
John Lee Hooker. The spirits of blues-men like Hooker exist
in Otis Taylor's songs, and his honest and dark delivery;
it is the musical aspects of this record that leads the ear off
a bit. To be terribly honest, this entire record sounds to my
ears much more like a John Cale project, albeit with a
bit more heart and passion and polish than one would normally
expect from Cale.
That said, the blues are an undeniable presence on this collection
of songs, Otis Taylor's sixth release since his return to making
music in 1995. Just listen a bit closer to the lyrics if you doubt
me. The songs all tell stories that are so packed with reality
and passion that there is no doubt much autobiographical information
being passed to the listener, directly from the heart of Otis
Taylor. Each song has a depth of character rarely found in modern
music, and the album as a whole is an amazing experience. Taylor
has refined the sound he has come to refer to as "trance-blues",
creating a unique sub-genre of contemporary blues. There is a
basic drone to these songs that appeals to my ear and lulls me
into a state of euphoric fascination, creating the perfect mood
to absorb the meanings (or my own interpretations) of the songs.
The varied instrumentation leaves the mind wondering if the ear
has just heard what it just heard… The incessant repetitions
of banjos and odd percussion use lend an air of otherworldly folk
music to the songs. The sparse arrangements create so much sonic
space for the stories to roll around that there is very little
to distract one from the feeling of the songs.
Double V is a mood. A presence. A force to be reckoned
with in a world where few things make us look deeply into our
own souls searching for the truth found there. It's an almost
imperceptible manipulation; these songs making you scrutinize
your own life and attitudes almost before you realize that you
are doing so. This is music at its finest. Interesting, pure,
simple, and undeniably honest, the songs of Otis Taylor redefine
the standard to which modern blues music must strive.
This is not your daddy's blues record. This is everyone's blues
record.
-David DeVoe
Track listing:
1. Please Come Home Before It Rains
2. Took Their Land
3. Plastic Spoon
4. Mama's Selling Heroin
5. 505 Train
6. Mandan Woman
7. Sounds Of Attica
8. It's Done Happened Again
9. He Never Raced On Sunday
10. Hurry Home
11. Reindeer Meat
12. Buy Myself Some Freedom
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Otis Taylor 
