CD Review

Otis Taylor is not afraid to revisit some of the past’s darkest moments. In Taylor’s latest offering, Double V, he delves deep into some personal pain bringing up images sure to stir the ghosts of at least a few guilty parties. Whether he’s recounting the ugly truth of his mother’s drug dealing in the 1950’s (“Mama’s Selling Heroin”) or specific racial injustices throughout history, Taylor seems to feel it his duty to shed light on some of the darkest stories he knows.

Although Double V is without a doubt a blues record, it strays from any sort of traditional instrumentation usually associated with the genre. Seven of the twelve tracks incorporate at least one cello, and as in the case of the haunting “It’s Done Happened Again,” as many as four. Each creating a stirring ambience as a backdrop to Taylor’s stream of consciousness “singing” style. His voice is comforting, as he speaks his lyrics more often than he sings - making the listener feel like a grandchild on Granddad’s lap, listening to rightfully bitter recollections of past heartache.

The only other voice heard on the album is that of Otis’s daughter, Cassie Taylor. The 17-year-old brings the album to a close in what plays as the most beautiful song of the lot, with “Buy Myself Some Freedom.” It features her delicate voice intertwined with the perfectly placed rolling trumpet lines of Ron Miles.

With the subject material on Double V as heavy as it is throughout, the less-is-more approach to the progressions and melodies (some songs feature solely Taylor’s gravelly voice) are welcome and at times necessary to digest the severity of the words.

Otis Taylor spent almost twenty years outside the music business (1977-1995) as an antique salesman, but this record proves he is again where he belongs. Although not a groundbreaking blues album, Double V is an important statement by a man with a lot on his mind.