Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Family reputation is a hard thing to live up to, it either sucks the energy out of you, leaves you breathless upon the floor and screaming at the unjust nature of random gene pools or it can build you up, inspire the performer or the lay person to even greater heights, enthusing them to be even better than what could have ever been expected. Such is the Universe when you choose to follow in the same profession with pride as your parents, the pressure may be intense but the song is always worth every moment.
For Tasha Taylor, the shadow over her may have loomed large but the shadow, a wonderful and giving one, has been smoothed over and allowed the person inside to flourish and as she relishes with stunning enjoyment in her new release, the sweet and tantalising Honey For The Biscuit, the upbeat tempo, the slide into deep beauty, confusion and the baring down of lost relationships, is one that confirms just how special this woman is.
When living up to a standard set down, a standard of impossible cool, the other thing to do is beat it, take it apart with love and affection and offer a piece of your own incredible vision to the family plot and in Honey For The Biscuit, that is exactly what Ms. Taylor has done and she has done it with style, grace and the best of rhythm and blues with a side helping of depth of focus in engaging the listener with the musical stories at hand.
In tracks such as Wedding Bells, the craft that comes through in Family Tree, the gorgeous That Man and the untameable Leave That Dog Alone, Ms. Taylor offers more than musical excellence to the listener, she offers her soul, her shadow and her belief, it is only fair to understand that as the music plays, as the music infects, for there is nothing finer than listening to someone understand what they have achieved.
Honey For The Biscuit is certainly sweet, it is most definitely full of pace and charm, it is an album to which praise is overwhelming and heartfelt; an album of sincere lyrics and deep passion, the family ties are loosened and allowed to run free.
Tasha Taylor’s Honey For The Biscuit is released on March 18th.
Ian D. Hall