The amazing Julian Taylor is back with another folky, rootsy, country, rocky solo album. He’s had a pretty consistent output since going solo, this marking his third studio album in three years. I hadn’t heard of him much until he was announced for The Long Road for this year, but after checking him out quickly fell in love with his music. So when this came across our emails, I knew I just HAD to review this in full! Let’s dive in!
‘Weighing Down’ is the perfect, chilled-out opening track. His low, soulful vocals work perfectly over the acoustic guitars, strings and soft drumming. It’s the perfect, relaxed song, and the lyrics through it are also phenomenal. There’s honestly not much to say about it; it’s a simple yet incredibly effective track that sets the tone up for the rest of the album perfectly.
The chilled vibes continue through ‘Love Letters’, a folk track that honestly feels almost like a romantic drinking song than anything else. Like an almost more stripped-back Pogues. The vocals are fantastic again over the acoustic guitar, and the harmonies around Julian’s voice are perfect. They make a catchy chorus even catchier. We even get a fun little guitar solo part in the bridge. This was an amazing song, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist!
‘Six Line Road’ is much more acoustic-blues track, having a great riff running through its core. And the lyrics are again incredible, showing off Julian’s talents as a storyteller. The harmonies are once again awesome through the choruses, it all being so simple yet so very effective. We even get a sexy, sexy sax in this, that I can’t get enough of and wish we got even more of. It added a dive-jazz bar vibe to it all which I loved. It’s another incredible song, and another that makes it onto our Spotify!
We’ve of course already checked out the single and title track of the album, and LOVE it. It’s a slower track in more of a Don McLean/Cat Stevens vein, but is a fantastic, emotion-filled track. The lyrics are incredible, as is the delivery of them, and the duet-style with Allison is truly beautiful. And honestly, this is the second or third time this chorus will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. It’s the perfect song to sit and chill out with, yet still gave me goosebumps when listening to it closely. It’s the third track in a row for the playlist, Julian is on a roll!
The pace picks up with ‘Running Away’, having an almost indie-rock feel to the country sound. The closest thing I can associate it to is Red Clay Strays, who I also love! It’s a foot-stomping, rockier number that wouldn’t have felt out of place in the 60s, yet still feels modern at the same time. It’s also the longest track on the album, which was great as it gives the band chance to jam in the middle, having a rocky-blues bridge section and outro full of some great soloing. It was the perfect change of pace for the album, putting something a little quicker in the middle to break up the slower tracks. I didn’t expect it at all but I loved it. It almost had some Dire Straits to it at times! The talent of Julian and his band are off the charts, from both a writing and playing standpoint, and this track is a true testament to that! I’d definitely recommend the album version over the radio edit to get a true feel for the track!
In contrast, ‘See This Thing Through’ is the slowest track on the album, a slower blues/easy listening track packed full of more awesome vocals and harmonies. Honestly, the other two tracks have a similar relaxed, stripped-back feeling, rounding out the album perfectly. It’s just impossible to dislike Julian’s music. Usually I’d get a touch bored of a collection of mostly slower songs, but his vocals and lyrics are so incredible that I loved all three of these tracks. The perfect ending to the perfect chill-out album!
Overall: As I’m sure you can tell, I loved this. It’s short and sweet and there truly isn’t a bad track on here. I listened to it all the way through once before I even wrote anything, I just sat back and took it in and has a blast. It went by in a flash and is the perfect relaxed country album if you want to sit back and really listen. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys the slower side of country, and I’ll be listening to it a lot in the coming weeks and months!
The Score: 8/10