Page 47 - BiTS_08_AUGUST_2021

'Madison Square Garden' starts us off, a rocky ballad with delicate slide guitar with the next track
the almost 'prog' 'The Ride' starting with more tasteful lead guitar and building up into a multi-
tracked guitar master class, although 'My Kind of Woman' simplifies things to a straight ahead

Chuck Berry-style boogie (earlier in his career Jonathon was known as Jonathon “Boogie” Long!)
Although he was often portrayed as a wunderkind guitarist in the past, he has now rounded out into
a good singer and songwriter as well as still being an excellent guitarist and his songs are often
unfolding stories.

'Landline' is quite jazzy, 'All I Need' is funky with an infectious groove and great guitar and
'Dangerous' again features his slide playing. 'My Kind of Crazy' and the soul ballad 'That Ain’t Love'

are nice, clever songs and we finish with an almost reggae-like 'Jenny'. There is lots of variety here
but I'm afraid not enough blues for me, however if you like Southern Rock with lots of guitar this is
a well-made and played album that could be right up your highway.

Graham Harrison

Joanne Shaw Taylor—If That Ain't A Reason—Single

Born in the ‘Black Country’ in the UK’s Midlands, Ms Taylor now
is an expat, living in the USA and this single is extracted from a
new (eighth) album that will be released later this year. In 2010,
she won Best Female Vocalist at the British Blues Awards (BBA).
She won the same category in the 2011 British Blues Awards and
later she won the BBA Songwriter of the Year award for "Same As
It Never Was" from her album “Diamonds in the Dirt”.

I interviewed her shortly after that ‘songwriter’ award and recall
that whilst overjoyed at the award itself, she was disappointed
that it, and neither of her previous awards, was for her
instrumental skills. That is such a shame. She is a very fine guitar player (mostly on Telecasters)
and indeed after her appearance with Annie Lennox outside Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2012, at
the Diamond Jubilee Concert, she was informed that Stevie Wonder had loved her "clean, bluesy,
understated tone".

Well, if the rest of the stuff on the upcoming album is like this, she may well be on course to
address the problem. ‘If that Ain’t A Reason’ is a funky piece, with a fabulous horn section. Joanne’s
voice is a powerful contralto with an edge of Tina Turner or Odetta…and sexy too. Then after two
minutes her guitar breaks loose with a solo, which, if the dynamics and skills shown here are
repeated on the album, will lead to massive recognition for her as an instrumentalist. Fabuloso!

I for one can’t wait for the full album! More please.

Ian K. McKenzie