Review: Otis Taylor

otis
Otis Taylor
“Double V”
(Telarc)

Otis Taylor’s Double V continues his legacy of potent blues story-songs where a striking narrative telegraphs over a direct, simple and blunt blues tune.  This hypnotic, Delta-inspired trance blues accentuates the anger, mystery and warning of Taylor’s message-songs.  Taylor sees the blues in modern society so poignantly that he really is one of the most compelling voices in modern blues.  An elderly couple is driven to eat dog food (“Plastic Spoon”) and Taylor gives us a history lesson in “He Never Raced on Sunday” as to how racist bicycle race promoters used Major Taylor’s religious convictions against him.  Listen to Taylor and come away awed and angered, moved and enlightened.