Taylor Scott Band are new to me, and I discovered them after checking out their latest album 'The Hang', and being blown away by how good it was. This was their second album, following on from 2019's 'All We Have', with both being produced by Los Lobos' Steve Berlin, but Scott has actually been around for quite a while. He grew up with a childhood appreciation for country music, and that soon gave way to an obsession with rebellious, guitar-driven rock 'n' roll, but by the age of 16 he'd found a new love: old-school blues music. It was a genre that suited his soulful vocals and hotshot guitar skills, and so he began playing regional festivals while still a high school student, and shortly after graduation he was recruited by Otis Taylor to join the blues legend's band, spending four years touring as Taylor's guitarist. In 2014 Scott met organist Jon Wirtz, and they joined forces in their own band, putting on lively performances throughout their native Colorado, North America, and Europe, and performing alongside greats like Gov't Mule’s Warren Haynes. The band did release a six-track EP titled 'A Closer Look, The Second Glance' in late 2015 and that would have been the first that the record-buying public became aware of Taylor's ability to play an impressive lead guitar, but it wasn't commercially successful, and so it was three years before they would release their debut album.After I'd listened to both albums I searched Youtube to see if I'd missed anything else by them, and what I found was the reason for this post, as in 2014 the band went into KMG Studios in Denver and laid down the most amazing version of William Devaughan's 'Be Thankful For What You Got' that you'll ever hear. For over ten minutes they don't put a foot wrong, and bearing in mind that they'd only just put the band together then it really is outstanding. I had to get this out to a bigger audience, so a bit more research uncovered a couple of singles from 2016 and 2017, neither of which were included on their album, and because the 2015 EP is so hard to find I thought that I'd lump them all together for a primer to the band for anyone who hasn't already heard of them. So if you're into the classic blues-rock sound of The Allmans, Gallagher/Taste and Free wrapped around the classic songwriting of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, and Jerry Jeff Walker then you need to check these guys out.
Track listing
01 Scarlet Headed Woman (from 'A Closer Look, The Second Glance' 2015)
02 Summer Moon (single 2016)
03 The Answer (To Your Question) (from 'A Closer Look, The Second Glance' 2015)
04 & Then I Woke Up (extended version, from 'A Closer Look, The Second Glance' 2015)
05 Learning Curve (single 2017)
06 Be Thankful For What You Got (live at KMG Studios, Denver 2014)
07 The Walk (from 'A Closer Look, The Second Glance' 2015)
08 Second Glance (from 'A Closer Look, The Second Glance' 2015)
