CD Review

Otis Taylor pays his mortgage by dealing antiques in Boulder, Colorado. It’s an entirely appropriate vocation for the nighttime bluesman. Like antiques, Taylor’s songs are dusty, well-traveled and layered with sub-stories. Yet, unlike the artifacts of his day job, there’s nothing pristine or sentimental about his tales. No, Taylor’s characters often are wise, weary and eternally wayward. He finds most of them on the wrong side of the tracks - “I’m good at dark,” Taylor says.

So good, in fact, that Taylor’s White African earned him a coveted W.C. Handy award – the blues equivalent to a Grammy – for Best New Artist in 2001. Below the Fold once again proves Taylor is an exceptional songwriter and soulful performer, one who has developed a uniquely harrowing style over his 57 years. It’s all in the strings – Taylor plays guitar, slide, banjo and mandolin – and the way he layers his rugged voice uncomfortably across their foundation.

“Feels Like Lighting,” “Hookers in the Street,” and the dirty blues “Didn’t Know Much About Education” are good starting points on the way to understanding the importance of unrest in Taylor’s songs. But don’t stop there. The soft beauty of “Went to Hermes” stands out even more so when weighed against the turmoil of tracks like “Government Lied” and “Mama’s Got a Friend.” The striking balance Taylor achieves on Below the Fold makes it worthy of another Handy nomination. Vote Taylor.