Louise Taylor
www.louisetaylor.com

by Richard Cuccaro
Her voice comes calling. At times like a wind out of Canada, bearing icy truths, other times, a warm, languid breeze, carrying the promise of desire. A husky alto, with an edge. Down through years… ages… timeless… bearing tales from the deepest parts of the heart. Her entire body forms the sounds filtered though those vocal chords. Every fiber telling the same truths. All the fears, the longings, the hope and the regrets.

When I listen to Louise Taylor, she blossoms into an aural version of a cross between two great American women visual artists-- painter Georgia O'Keefe and photographer Dorothea Lange. In a perfect world, she would be enshrined along with them in a pantheon of our nation's greatest treasures. Within the scope of her talent, is the gift for capturing intimate human portraits, huge vistas, and everything in between. She gets it all.

When, as a 15-year-old, she walked out onto the roadways of this country and stuck out her thumb, she embarked upon a journey that would shape and define her as a master storyteller. Along the way, she would hone her skills as a singer and player of power and grace.

In 1992, Louise's songwriting prowess made its debut with the release of Looking for Rivers. The album is dedicated to co-producer and close friend, Jack MacKay, who provided crucial early support. Signature Sounds (her current label) states (and we agree): "With her hypnotic rhythm guitar work, dusky vocals and the strong poetic imagery of her songwriting, Taylor's music was already mature and fully developed." Upon it's release this album received glowing reviews from the likes of Dirty Linen and Performing Songwriter. The first three tracks, "For You," "High Plateau" and "Walking Shoes," let the listener hear what exposure to African drumming in her mid-20s' did for Louise's strum. She said that a key component is "having two fields going at the same time." For me it's a hypnotic "double-clutch" action that, in conjunction with her vocals, caused my jaw to drop when I first saw her live...