Sean Taylor – Music News

Sean Taylor songs (label)

18 August 2023 (released)

56 min

Troubadour is such an old word. It used to mean a travelling storyteller who would probably play some music as well, entertaining wherever the populace would meet – markets, pubs etc (but never churches).
In spirit, Sean Taylor is a troubadour of the modern world. He writes stories, plays wonderful music and is constantly on the move, presenting his tales.

This is his ninth album, and, like all the others, it is an essential, and delightful, listen.

From the opening notes of ‘Happy Days’ with its references to Samuel Beckett, Taylor’s vocal is like an Irish Tom Waits as he talks through a stream of consciousness piece about decidedly un-happy days. Together with Mike Seal on double bass, Paulina Szczepaniak on percussion and Justin Carroll on Hammond, the music is quick, breathless and complex.
That rolls straight into ‘Snowdownia’, an joyful piece about a perfect day spent in Snowdonia. Joe Harvey Whyte’s pedal steel guitar creates a sense of happy and warm memory.

So, as usual, Sean Taylors songs are different and meaningful. And, with the standard of musicians available to him, brilliantly listenable.
He bases ‘Mona Lisa’ a song about the theft from the Louvre in 1911 in a boogie woogie number, ‘The Letter’ is a walking Blues about a breakup, ‘Gravestones’ is all about conspiracy theories and the ease of falling into their trap – brilliant violin from Basia Bartz.

Closing number ‘Be Cool’ is a beat, stream of consciousness that makes the album worthwhile if only for its existence.

Lots of different themes, he avoids getting into politics but definitely has a view on what is happening in the world. Every song is a perfect jewel with no sense of filler or of normalisation.

Damn but this album is brilliant.