Nolan Taylor – Nolan Taylor (Atlantic) 13th Floor Album Review

0

Country-tinged singer/songwriter Nolan Taylor finally releases his debut album with 16 original songs that will leave you impressed, inspired and just a little weepy.

Nolan is a big, burly, bearded man who hails from the small town of Blanchester, Ohio (pop. 4230). Taylor’s size and his talent proved too big for the small town and so he moved on to Cincinnati and then Nashville where he started releasing singles and EPs back in 2018.

His age is listed as somewhere between 35-45 so he’s got some years and some experiences under his belt including a troubled childhood and a mother with mental health issues.

It’s all grist for the mill in the 16 songs that make this album, many of which have been heard on the previously mentioned singles and Eps.

Fans of older songs like Darkness and Realize may be taken aback a bit when they cue up the first song and hear I Belong In Your Arm a full-band rocker that finds our hero singing, “take that dress off real slow…let the neighbours know we’re loud”. Yes, it starts out with a bang.

Nolan Taylor

But don’t worry, Nolan still knows how write and sing a ballad that will have you crying in your beer.

Double Life is one such song and it’s a real showcase for Nolan’s impressive voice. Lyrically, there’s plenty for the listener to wrap their heads around as Nolan is alone again asking, “when is everything going to be alright?”. And musically, the production (by Nolan) is dramatic, creating a tension that keeps the listener on the edge of their seat.

Speaking of production, along with Nolan himself, there are seven other producers overseeing the 16 songs, making me think that the album was not recorded as a single entity but a collection of separate sessions. That can be a recipe for disaster, but to Nolan and his crew’s credit , the album holds together surprisingly well. The tracks produced by Bobby Knepper (68, Clock on The Wall and No One Is Gonna Love You) are stripped down affairs with just acoustic guitar and vocals, while David Baron and Dan Fernandez aren’t afraid to spruce things up with backing vocalists, mellotron and horns.

But it all makes sense when taken in as a whole. My only complaint might be the duration of the record…16 songs at just under an hour is a lot to take in.

But, hey, you can’t have too much of a good thing and Nolan Taylor has been waiting a long time to put this record together, the least we can do is give him our attention for a little while. Chances are you won’t feel like its wasted time.

Marty Duda

Nolan Taylor is released this Friday, January 10th. Click here to preorder. 

 

Marty Duda
Latest posts by Marty Duda (see all)