Tommy Taylor describes the nine tracks included on his album Across the Stars as “Chekhovian vignettes” and he isn’t just blowing smoke up our collective backsides with the observation. Taylor has logged years playing drums and singing backing vocals for a diverse variety of acts, some legendary while others are just ordinarily famous, and steadily perfected his songwriting craft during those years.
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He’s on his own now and the woodshedding pays off with songs that are intimate without being painful or obscure. His skill of drawing deft characterizations within a songwriting context separates him from many peers and contemporaries while remaining resolutely accessible. He teams with another talented and tested musician, keyboardist, and producer Michael Omartian to serve up compelling arrangement, thoughtful lyrics, and a sturdy sense of construction that makes Across the Stars a revelatory experience.
The loose and appealingly shambolic mid-tempo pace of “Ghost Town” is an ideal opener. Taylor builds the song around two key elements – acoustic guitar and accompanying piano. His lyrical acumen shines through from the outset, as well, and the familiarity of his imagery for longtime music devotees never smacks of imitation. Instead, Taylor is taking well-traveled tropes and reclaiming them as his own. Much of “Cold Catch” has a spartan character that avoids any extraneous notes. However, Taylor orchestrates the track so that it swells at critical junctures in the arrangement. It helps prevent it from sounding too same-y. Piano plays an even more prominent role here than it does during the album’s opener.
Taylor demonstrates the elasticity of his voice with the track “Fall of ’93 (Ballad of Doug Hopkins)”. His voice is certainly strong enough to deliver the mid-tempo meditations we’ve thus far covered, and, with this cut, he serves notice that he’s equally at home with rockier fare. The track features, as well, one of his strongest characterizations and outstanding evidence of his storytelling gifts. “Everybody’s Gonna Let You Down” has everything a hit song requires while likewise making a substantive emotional statement. It’s far from the most hopeful sentiment expressed in song, but the melodic appeal it exerts is undeniable. It’s a near perfect example of merging the bitter with the sweet to create something special.
The title song revisits the same mix of acoustic guitar and piano that opened the release. Taylor’s writing in a more overtly poetic vein with this number, and it never risks heavy-handedness. The smattering of backing vocals joining him makes the lead vocal all the more appealing thanks to the dramatic juxtaposition. Tommy Taylor labored in shadows as a drummer for many years before making the big solo leap, but it is clearly time. He’s ready.
The music listening public is ready too. Many of us crave hearing songs that matter, tracks that connect with the songwriting’s initial impulse. The nine songs on Tommy Taylor’s Across the Stars more than fit the bill and herald a likely exemplary solo career to follow. Listeners are urged to keep following him each step of the way.
Garth Thomas