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  • From: Stafford, England
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Topic: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Here's one you need to know about.

Joanne Shaw Taylor - UK Blues newcomer, has just released her debut album "White Sugar" and boy does it rock!

Great guitar, superb vocals, and only 23 years old.
I was lucky enough to see Joanne on the UK leg of Ruf's "Blues Caravan" tour recently, and I downloaded her album when it was released just over a week ago - what a seriously good debut!

I haven't been so excited about an album since I took a chance on Sloe Gin (and look where that led me).

Available on CD in UK on 23rd Feb (that date rings a bell), available to download now.

Anyone else out there heard it yet?

Please be in no doubt that this is the REAL ME! Beware imposters........................
  • Registered: 2008-02-14
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Hi Icon,

Yes I've recently discovered Joanne's music too and bought her album from emusic's MP3 download a few days ago. It certain is a good album, with as you say great guitar and great vocals.

I've not had the chance to see her yet, being here in Scotland, but I have heard good reports about her. My friend Johnno from Aynsley's forum saw the Blues Caravan tour in Bonn recently and has done both a review and interview with Joanne, Oli Brown and Erja L.
Here is a link to them:

http://www.english-network.de/

Here's a clip of Joanna playing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKu55mIS … re=related

Enjoy smile

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
  • From: West Yorkshire, England
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Hi Icon,
I saw JST a good few years ago when she played at the Colne festival and I was very impressed. Must check out the album.

Thanks for the links Duncan smile

T smile

  • From: Norddeutschland
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Look forward to giving you an up to date on her performance on Friday morning. Will be seeing the "Blues Caravan" in Hamburg tomorrow night at the Fabrik. Looking forward to it a lot. Don't know much about Ms. Taylor and haven't heard anything but thats the way I like it. Always nice to be impressed and then buy the CD there and then.

Only sorry it couldn't be next week when my 14 yr old daughter is here. She's made so much progress on guitar in the last year it would have been great for her to catch two young female guitarists for inspiration. She's also started reading the gear section on this website lately she tells me.

The future is looking expensive hmm

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Finally, I caught wind of Joanne about a year and a half ago and have been waiting on her debut. With Dave Stewart helping her along how can she lose? To quote her bio, "Imagine a love child of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Dusty Springfield and you get an idea of what Joanne is about." Could she be the next big thing? We'll see.

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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

The love child of Dusty and SRV? That's a great description. Dusty's voice is magical. I haven't heard Joanne yet although I've heard about her. Gotta check her out asap.

never give up, never slow down
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  • From: Coral Springs, FL
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

She's a good guitarist. Vocals need a little work though.

  • Registered: 2008-02-14
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised at the number of responses on this thread already, many of our  threads on little known British guitar players seem to disappear without notice.

Enjoy the concert tonight Mike, we look forward to your report.  Wish Joanne an early birthday, I believe it is on Friday! big_smile I believe the Blues caravan tour ends on Saturday, it's been an intense month for them!

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Yes - good to see that the word is spreading for Joanne.  Now she has a record deal and some promotion behind her, her opportunities to play live will increase and she will soon be up there with the best I'm sure.

The album for me is just astonishing - i believe all the songs are her own, and one was written when she was just 14.

Please be in no doubt that this is the REAL ME! Beware imposters........................
  • Registered: 2008-02-14
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Icon wrote:

Yes - good to see that the word is spreading for Joanne.  Now she has a record deal and some promotion behind her, her opportunities to play live will increase and she will soon be up there with the best I'm sure.

The album for me is just astonishing - i believe all the songs are her own, and one was written when she was just 14.

I think they were all written by her except for the song "Bones", that's a cover of a song by the (sadly defunct) Hoax.

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Greenose wrote:
Icon wrote:

Yes - good to see that the word is spreading for Joanne.  Now she has a record deal and some promotion behind her, her opportunities to play live will increase and she will soon be up there with the best I'm sure.

The album for me is just astonishing - i believe all the songs are her own, and one was written when she was just 14.

I think they were all written by her except for the song "Bones", that's a cover of a song by the (sadly defunct) Hoax.

Hey Greenose, you're right - I'm not familiar with the Hoax so didn't spot that - you just can't trust these reviews sometimes.

Here's where I read it;
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/12/08/084927.php

Also two links to two songs featured on White Sugar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvHA-dY0 … re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsnasO8p … re=related

Please be in no doubt that this is the REAL ME! Beware imposters........................

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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

I hope to see her with the Blues Carvan (and the Oli Brown Band...) at the end of March at one of our local Blues Festivals. I missed their gig in Stuttgart due to uni-stuff, but hearing you guys talk about Joanne makes me want to go and see them even more ... smile

Eva

  • Registered: 2008-02-14
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

A quick heads up:

Joanne has a session of Paul Jones blues show on BBC radio 2 on Monday 16th March

Expect the session to start around  19.30 GMT

Wooders can provide details of other time zones lol ...

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Greenose wrote:

A quick heads up:

Joanne has a session of Paul Jones blues show on BBC radio 2 on Monday 16th March

Expect the session to start around  19.30 GMT

Wooders can provide details of other time zones lol ...

Thanks for that Duncan - I hadn't seen that anywhere - should be good.

Paul Jones is really good at giving airtime to the new young hopefulls on the UK blues scene - none of that "Blues Purist" nonsense you mentioned on the scream thread. I know he featured Oli Brown and Dani Wilde when they released their debut albums last year, so that's all three of the newcomers on the Ruf label. I still can't believe that Joanne is the oldest of the three at just 23!

All three albums are well worth the outlay, and I can recommend them all as great live acts, but if I had to pick my favourite album, it would have to be Joanne's "White Sugar" . It has just the right mix of songs in the right order to keep the listener engaged throughout - not always easy in the blues rock genre.

Ian

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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Last night I took a trip over to Glasgow to see Jack Bruce, Robin Trower & Gary Husband with Joanne Shaw Taylor as support. When I arrived it was clear ticket sales had not gone as well as anticipated as the whole upper balcony section was closed, and instead most of the front of the main hall, which is usually for standing, was converted to seating. This was a little frustrating as I’d specifically bought a standing ticket with the intention of getting near to the front!
Anyway shortly before eight, the security girl said that most of the seated ticket fans had arrived so they opened the seats to the rest of us. I quickly made my way to the front and got the seat second from the end on the front row, and could see Joanne’s telecaster resting against an amp on the stage in front of me.  On the hour, she had her band took to the stage and starting straight up with an instrumental jam. The drummer and (stand in) bass player were solid and performed well for the whole set, but what an impression Joanne made, she really plays guitar with such a passion. The way she takes control of the instrument and drives the music out of it is quite remarkable, and it is unrelenting.  Comparisons in this way could perhaps be made with Walter Trout, although musically Joanne’s style owes more to the Texan blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. While Joanne plays she really seems in her element, smiling to herself and occasionally her bandmates. It was clear she was here to impress. The second song was a new tune “Black Country Soul” which was a great tune with possibly some humorous lyrics before she played “Kiss The Ground Goodbye” and then slowed it right down with “Blackest Day”, by the end of this song the crowd which had been polite were hearing in very large numbers and the band received a great applause when they finished with “Bones”.  All in all a great, but short set.
Joanne then went to the merchandise stand and chatted with fans and signed CDs for a good twenty five minutes before getting a taxi to the airport.  She’s had a busy week. She and Oli jammed with Joe Bonamassa at the start of the week, she then played the support for Bruce in London, then the trip to Glasgow and today as she flies to Minneapolis, USA for some festival dates. Her full UK tour is in November so if you have not seen her before, make sure you see her then, she said she’s particularly looking forward to the Blues Academy concert! smile

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Nice review Duncan, you describe her very well indeed smile


Greenose wrote:

Last night I took a trip over to Glasgow to see Jack Bruce, Robin Trower & Gary Husband with Joanne Shaw Taylor as support. When I arrived it was clear ticket sales had not gone as well as anticipated as the whole upper balcony section was closed, and instead most of the front of the main hall, which is usually for standing, was converted to seating. This was a little frustrating as I’d specifically bought a standing ticket with the intention of getting near to the front!
Anyway shortly before eight, the security girl said that most of the seated ticket fans had arrived so they opened the seats to the rest of us. I quickly made my way to the front and got the seat second from the end on the front row, and could see Joanne’s telecaster resting against an amp on the stage in front of me.  On the hour, she had her band took to the stage and starting straight up with an instrumental jam. The drummer and (stand in) bass player were solid and performed well for the whole set, but what an impression Joanne made, she really plays guitar with such a passion. The way she takes control of the instrument and drives the music out of it is quite remarkable, and it is unrelenting.  Comparisons in this way could perhaps be made with Walter Trout, although musically Joanne’s style owes more to the Texan blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. While Joanne plays she really seems in her element, smiling to herself and occasionally her bandmates. It was clear she was here to impress. The second song was a new tune “Black Country Soul” which was a great tune with possibly some humorous lyrics before she played “Kiss The Ground Goodbye” and then slowed it right down with “Blackest Day”, by the end of this song the crowd which had been polite were hearing in very large numbers and the band received a great applause when they finished with “Bones”.  All in all a great, but short set.
Joanne then went to the merchandise stand and chatted with fans and signed CDs for a good twenty five minutes before getting a taxi to the airport.  She’s had a busy week. She and Oli jammed with Joe Bonamassa at the start of the week, she then played the support for Bruce in London, then the trip to Glasgow and today as she flies to Minneapolis, USA for some festival dates. Her full UK tour is in November so if you have not seen her before, make sure you see her then, she said she’s particularly looking forward to the Blues Academy concert! smile

Martin
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Greenose wrote:

Last night I took a trip over to Glasgow to see Jack Bruce, Robin Trower & Gary Husband with Joanne Shaw Taylor as support. When I arrived it was clear ticket sales had not gone as well as anticipated as the whole upper balcony section was closed, and instead most of the front of the main hall, which is usually for standing, was converted to seating. This was a little frustrating as I’d specifically bought a standing ticket with the intention of getting near to the front!
Anyway shortly before eight, the security girl said that most of the seated ticket fans had arrived so they opened the seats to the rest of us. I quickly made my way to the front and got the seat second from the end on the front row, and could see Joanne’s telecaster resting against an amp on the stage in front of me.  On the hour, she had her band took to the stage and starting straight up with an instrumental jam. The drummer and (stand in) bass player were solid and performed well for the whole set, but what an impression Joanne made, she really plays guitar with such a passion. The way she takes control of the instrument and drives the music out of it is quite remarkable, and it is unrelenting.  Comparisons in this way could perhaps be made with Walter Trout, although musically Joanne’s style owes more to the Texan blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. While Joanne plays she really seems in her element, smiling to herself and occasionally her bandmates. It was clear she was here to impress. The second song was a new tune “Black Country Soul” which was a great tune with possibly some humorous lyrics before she played “Kiss The Ground Goodbye” and then slowed it right down with “Blackest Day”, by the end of this song the crowd which had been polite were hearing in very large numbers and the band received a great applause when they finished with “Bones”.  All in all a great, but short set.
Joanne then went to the merchandise stand and chatted with fans and signed CDs for a good twenty five minutes before getting a taxi to the airport.  She’s had a busy week. She and Oli jammed with Joe Bonamassa at the start of the week, she then played the support for Bruce in London, then the trip to Glasgow and today as she flies to Minneapolis, USA for some festival dates. Her full UK tour is in November so if you have not seen her before, make sure you see her then, she said she’s particularly looking forward to the Blues Academy concert! smile

Glad you've managed to experience Joanne live at last Duncan, even if it was a short set. She's really quite something eh?
I'm hoping to catch her at the Robin next month - she has a support slot with Coco Montoya, and then her own headline show a little later in the year. I guess it helps that the Robin is actually in the Black Country ( looking forward to hearing that one).

Ian

Please be in no doubt that this is the REAL ME! Beware imposters........................
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Re: Joanne Shaw Taylor - Debut Blues Album

Nice review, Duncan. wink You've really whetted my appetite for seeing Joanne later in the year.

Phil

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“The guy who has helped the blues industry the most is Joe Bonamassa and I would say he is more rock than some rock stuff, so to me blues is whatever you want it to be!”
Simon McBride in my interview with him in Blues Matters! Issue #56