Search - Louise Taylor :: Written in Red

Dark Red

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 03/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Louise Taylor has one of the most expressive voices recording today in acoustic music. At times her alto is reminiscent of Emmylou Harris. "Written In Red" is most often dark in tone, but with a struggle toward the lighter side, one illuminated by love. Using the George Washington story as a departure point, in the first track "Cherry Tree" Louise sings that she cannot tell a lie. For the rest of the CD, she delivers what is at times a painfully honest portrait of a woman struggling with the darker side of her nature. "Over the Mountain" is a deceptively beautiful tune about "where the angels play" and encourages us that it's "time to learn to pray," but these positive sentiments are undercut by a sinister electric guitar that wails with a plaintive roar. This is a brilliant track with a creative tension between lyric, melody & arrangement. "Meet You here" musically downsizes to just acoustic guitar & Louise's world-weary voice, "Living's lived up to my worst fears." The directness creates a musical honesty that is breathtaking. With "Two Bends in the Road" we finally get a needed break with happy guitar lines as Louise sings, "I never needed anybody so." "His Hands" is lyrically inventive, recounting the attraction to a man because of the beauty of his hands. "Miriam Bell" is a driving folk ballad about a poor girl used & discarded by a rich man, not a happy love song. "Gunny Hole" has some very tasty electric guitar in a song about a whaling town. Taylor gives about as boozy bluesy smokey barroom vocal in the title track as you're likely to hear. Singing about what a little morphine can do, the imagery that the closing sign is "written in red" makes one almost taste the blood on the tracks. "My Dove" is a pretty folk tune with what sounds like a flute playing a Gregorian chant. "Stubborn as a Gun" is one of the best melodies on the CD. Taylor sings, "Somebody ought to point me in a new direction" because this road is the "way to the blue connection." "While My Love Is Away" closes with a bright piano, a pretty melody, and Louise's alto, about as beautiful and expressive as you're likely to hear. As a writer, Taylor's lyrics are stronger than her melodies; but as a singer & arranger, all combine for an impressive, honest musical achievement. This CD is on the dark side, one of the best of 2000. Don't miss out!"