Terry Earl Taylor - Another Time
(Dark Holler)
Picture a run-down mountain shack with weathered split shingles clinging to it. Terry Earl Taylor sits on the decrepit porch with his banjo in his arms, strumming and humming. Brown chickens peck around in the dirt of his yard with river fog creeping up the mountain to swallow him. Then I read his liner notes. Picture the stone farm from Withnail and I, less sinister Americana and more dreary skies and muddy fields of England.
The simple banjo picking and somber lyrics of Terry Earl Taylor take you on a journey to a world somewhere between the Appalachians and the North of England. Taylor spins tales of death and superstition in the finest American Gothic style, tales of murder and deceit in the traditional English folk, and he talks between some of the tracks in a twisted version of Brother Claude Ely's Southern preaching.
There is a simplicity and a beauty to his arrangements, which showcase his banjo and his quavering voice. Many of the tunes on this CD you'd swear you'd heard before, but they're originals of Taylor. The very first track, "I've been away", is an old-sounding love song. Taylor sings, "I know you've been calling / but I've been away / We'll be together / One of these days / We'll meet again / Before very long / I would've come sooner / but death was too strong." A few of his other songs I'd like to mention, just for the novelty of the subject matter, are "Where the Cock don't Crow," "Wish I had a Parker Pen," and "Go Make Another Grave." There is something so sinister and haunting that your creep factor will be off the scale. The traditional songs that he arranges, such as "John Lankin," have a slant that is only Taylor.
Seventeen tracks (around sixty-seven minutes) are too much of any good thing. With a bit of judicious culling, this CD could've flowed a bit better and been interesting all the way through. Despite the repetitive feel towards the end, I play the first eleven or so songs almost daily and am still quite happy I bought this.
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