Sean Taylor - Flood and Burn

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 3 / 4 / 2017

---

Review

The hard-touring Sean Taylor has been on the road for ten years, perfecting his folk-infused blues (or, just as often, blues-infused folk). ‘Flood and Burn’ is his eighth album in that time. Testament to his ongoing devotion to his craft. He may not be a household name, but those households who do know his name keeping asking him to come back. Far from giving him itchy feet, all that travelling seems to have settled Sean Taylor down. Though he’s more than capable of belting out blistering rockers, this album finds him slowed down and stretched out. His husky voice wraps himself around songs that owe as much to Marvin Gaye and Miles Davis as they do to Howlin’ Wolf. Taylor describes himself as an increasingly confident songwriter, and even the only cover on the record (‘Heartbreak Hotel’) is presented with the same textures as the self-written tracks. The record flows purposefully until it reaches its high point, the closing track ‘Better Man’. It is the latest in a long-running collaboration between Taylor and the great bassist Danny Thompson. Thompson has continually championed Sean Taylor’s music, and, if a man who has spent most of his musical life playing with Bert Jansch and John Martyn thinks somebody is the real deal, it would be foolish to disagree. Once again, this record was recorded in Texas, with producer Mark Hallman. You suspect that Taylor would be happy to continue this partnership for the rest of his life. Throughout the record, you get the sense of an artist totally at home making music he believes in. Quite simply, an excellent album and a must-hear.

Track Listing:-

1 Codeine Dreams
2 A Good Place to Die
3 The Cruelty of Man
4 Troubadour
5 Run to the Water
6 Life Goes On
7 Flood & Burn
8 Beautiful Mind
9 Bad Case of the Blues
10 Until the End of Time
11 Heartbreak Hotel
12 Better Man

Band Links:-

http://www.seantaylorsongs.com/
https://twitter.com/seantaylorsongs
https://twitter.com/seantaylorsongs
https://www.youtube.com/user/SeanTaylo
https://plus.google.com/10705933077002