Larry Taylor and The Taylor Family with The Soul Blues Healers – Generations of Blues; West Side Legacy
NOLA Blue Records
13 tracks
Eddie Taylor, Sr. and his wife Vera brought their blues from Mississippi to Chicago’s west side. They had eight children, five of which became musicians of note in their own rights. Larry invited the musical members of the family into the studio in 2015 and later 2017 with him and his band, the Soul Blues Healers, to reprise songs from their parent’s generation. Presented here for all to hear in celebration and dedication to what would have been Eddie Senior’s 100th birthday on January 29 of this year. Larry handles some of the drums and Larry plays guitar; both sing. They and sisters Brenda and Demetria take care of the vocals along with Larry’s son Dullah (Liljet2X) who raps on one track; his track was recorded in May. Brother Tim plays drums on the songs Larry doesn’t.
Lots of guests are also in support of the effort. Matthew Skoller adds his harp on four cuts. Abraham Avery and Michael “Sleepy” Riley share in the bass duties. Four guest guitarists and another four guest keyboardists support the effort and B.J. Emery (trombone) and Ronnie G (sax) are the horn section who appear on a number of tracks.
Things commence with Larry doing his own “She Treats Me Just The Same,” some straight up Chicago blues with Larry fronting the band and Joe Brinson playing some stinging guitar. Nice sax work and great overall effort! Their Dad’s “Take Your Hand Down” follows with Larry on vocals and Eddie Jr. on guitar. Skoller blows some mean harp here and there is some really good piano featured, too.
“Bad Girl” is another of their Dad’s cuts, with Demetria on vocals, Junior on guitar, some more nice piano and both horns. She sings with passion and the band jumps and swings nicely here. “I Feel So Bad” features Larry on vocals again along with Eddie Junior on guitar and Skoller on harp. The piano is there, too; another classic Chicago track done well with some jumping guitar and piano once again!
“I Found Out” features Brenda singing her mothers’ song; it’s a slow and sultry performance as Brenda sings with authority. The horns give good support and Junior handles the guitar nicely. Brenda also follows with a big rendition of J.B. Lenoir’s “Talk to Your Son” with a gender change from Lenoir’s original. Eddie does a sweet job on guitar and the trombone and sax stand out, too, and there is a well done organ solo to savor, too.
Demetria returns with Magic Sam’s “You Belong To Me.” She sings with her signature grit and emotions as the horns and Eddie’s guitar support her well. Senior’s “Big Town Playboy” is sung by Junior and he plays guitar, too. Skoller adds some great harp. There is also some super piano served up here, too.
Larry comes back next with his own “Penitentiary Blues.” Killer Ray Allison plays some funky guitar, the horns blow some cool stuff in support and there is a little organ so help the cause, too. Brinson returns to help Larry on Larry’s “I Paid My Dues” with the horns, organ and guitar all doing their jobs nicely.
Liljet2x gives us his “No Shine,” a slick rap with the third Taylor generation showing his chops. The guitar (Ice Mike Thomas), organ and drums help keep the rap flowing as Liljet2x both fronts and sings backup on the track. Larry’s Jump Down American Queen is up next; he leads a funky jam with the horns doing a super job and Allson nailing the guitar lead. The final cut is an cool instrumental “Larry & Eddie Jr. Groove (Blues In The Rain).” Junior’s guitar rings, Skoller’s harp sings and the piano flows with the great groove based on Eddie Senior’s song. It’s a sweet ending to a great family reunion. It’s a greasy and delightful cut!
The Taylor family does their mother and father proud with this baker’s dozen of cuts keeping the west side blues alive. Lover’s of great Chicago blues will truly enjoy this family blues affair!
