Thursday, February 26, 2015

Dena Taylor The Nearness of You CD Review

Dena Taylor is able to effortlessly move through a number of different styles to create something in The Nearness of You that is tremendously personal and effecting.IF


When October Goes is the introductory track on The Nearness of You, and it provides a slow and deliberate introduction to listeners. The harmony achieved here will tattoo itself upon the minds and hearts of listeners, with the track working equally well to fans of 1920s torch singers, 1960s soul singers, or of musicals generally. Besame Mucho adds a Latin flair to this album; Taylor is able to create a wholly different sound that keeps listeners firmly on the edges of their seats. The instrumentation laid down on Besame Mucho is without comparison. The sheer emotional content of the guitar work provides gravitas and an additional complexity that will require listeners to spin the effort numerous times to hear the interactions between the instrumental and vocal.


Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me links together a fifties style that looks forward to the seventies singer-songwriter style (Karen Carpenter, Carly Simon) just as it would sound right in an art deco-adorned jazz club. Taylor’s versatility means that each composition on The Nearness of You will be a wholly unique composition from anything else a listener has heard. For All We Know keeps things slow and simple; with the dynamic between piano and Taylor’s vocals pushing each to a higher plateau, the song represents a stellar late-disc inclusion.


Take a sojourn to Taylor’s website for more information about her career, upcoming releases, and the latest in information about her various pursuits.


Top Tracks: When October Goes, Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me


Rating: 8.7/10


Dena Taylor The Nearness of You CD Review / 2014 Self / 10 Tracks / denataylor.bandcamp.com / denataylor.bandcamp.com/album/the-nearness-of-you-2014-imc-best-female-jazz-artist-award