Tasha Taylor is bearing her heart and her love of soul and blues in her third album Honey for the Biscuit. Daughter of American vocalist Johnnie Taylor, Tasha released her third album in February 2016. The 13-track disc infused with soul and blues, funk and pop, is the perfect vehicle for Tasha’s powerful yet measured vocals and instrumentation.
“It’s soulful blues and good storytelling, but it also has something you can shake your butt to here and there,” said Tasha.
Honey For The Biscuit features a star-studded line-up. Tasha is joined by Keb Mo on Track 03 “Family Tree,” Robert Randolph contributes to Track 06 “Little Miss Susie” and Tommy Castro lends his vocals for Track 13 “Same Old Thing.”
“I think being on tour and doing so much live music with these blues artists inspired me on Honey for the Biscuit to find my own blues,” she said. “Most of the songs I wrote on my guitar. I felt inspired by these guys. If I heard something I thought they’d be perfect for, I’d call them up and ask them if they had time.”
Track 10 “Leave That Dog Alone,” features a sultry and salty duet with Samantha Fish about kicking a man to the curb.
“Had a Sweet Talking Man. Had to let him go. He wouldn’t leave other women alone. He wouldn’t stop, messing round on me. I had to throw his stuff out on the street. Better leave, better leave, cause his back, his back, his back ain’t got no bone.”
The Blues Caravan, featuring Ruf recording artists Ina Forsman, Layla Zoe and Tasha Taylor, rolls into Rochester at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19 at Abilene’s Bar in Rochester.
Nathan Watts, best known as Stevie Wonder’s bassist for 30 years, helped produce the album, pulling together a band for the studio recording including Tasha’s brother John Taylor on guitar. Tasha also collaborated with Richard Flemming and Grammy award-winning Buffalo native rock, country and blues artist Tom Hambridge on the songs “Weatherman,” “How Long” and “Leave that Dog Alone” during a traditional Nashville songwriting session.
A fireball of energy, actor/musician, Tasha is fresh off a European tour promoting her album and from starring in “The Heart of Soul…The Stax Musical,” about the record label with which her father recorded with Booker T. & the MG’s.
Tasha rolls into Rochester with the Blues Caravan at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19 at Abilene’s Bar in Rochester along with fellow Ruf label artists Ina Forsman and Layla Zoe. Click here for information and advance tickets.
Key Tracks: Little Miss Susie, Leave That Dog Alone, Family Tree, That Man
Singer-songwriter and blues guitarist Samantha Fish’s third studio release, Wild Heart, is rife with powerful vocals, raunchy guitar riffs and thunderous drumming. Fish’s vocals will remind listeners of other female powerhouses like Grace Potter and Susan Tedeschi.
The album’s standout track, “Road Runner,” kicks off the 12-song collection and lays down the framework for what is to come—a 52-minute showcase of Fish’s soulful range backed by rocking guitars. “Go Home,” the first ballad on the album, features more delicate vocal work with hint of country to the sound. Returning to her roots in the hill country blues, she delivers a fitting cover of Charley Patton’s “Jim Lee Blues,” and it’s probably the most important tune on the record.
However, many of the tracks seem to fall flat with no real arrival. When one expects the song to progress to a climax, it simply continues along the same steady path where it started. Much of the drumming throughout the album is uninspired, not matching the intensity of the guitars or vocals. But many listeners will find this aspect of Wild Heart to be familiar and comfortable, as the simple backdrop beats let Fish’s rebel-twang steal the show.
Samantha Fish is currently on tour in support of Wild Heart, and she is scheduled to perform at New York City’s Cutting Room on Feb. 13.
Key tracks: “Road Runner,” “Jim Lee Blues,” “Bitch on the Run”
Singer-songwriter and blues guitarist Samantha Fish’s third studio release, Wild Heart, is rife with powerful vocals, raunchy guitar riffs and thunderous drumming. Fish’s vocals will remind listeners of other female powerhouses like Grace Potter and