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Otis Taylor is an original. Although he fits loosely into the category of bluesman, his music combines elements of folk, singer/songwriter, and R&B as well. On Below The Fold he adds a trance-like drone—a common element in African, Arab and Appalachian mountain music—to his arsenal for a sound that's all his own.
Taylor's tunes are bluesy, but he bends the blues to his own ends, using the music as a launching pad for autobiographical excursions that are bursting with vitality and compassion, brimming over with mordant wit. Taylor has a powerful voice that can deliver an angry wail or a rumbling world-weary growl and make it sound authentic. "Feel Like Lightning" pays tribute to the African-American activists of the '60s with a lyric that stitches together fragments of spirituals and music that combines the country fiddling of white Southerners with a backbeat that mimics the beating of the human heart.
On "Mama's Got A Best Friend" Taylor plays a simple, repeating Irish melody as he tells the story of his mother's "best friend," the woman who moved in after Taylor's father split. A haunted fiddle, dramatic drum accents, and Ron Miles' forlorn trumpet fills give the tune an ominous feeling. Taylor's understated vocal is heavy with implied apprehension, painting a portrait of a boy torn between his love for his mother and the unsettling questions his classmates are asking. Taylor can also be joyful. "Went To Hermes" has a slow, measured tempo, just Taylor's voice and acoustic guitar, delivering an ode to good drink, good sex, and sunshine.
Taylor's arrangements balance the folksy sounds of acoustic fiddle, guitar, and mandolin with the jazzy accents of trumpet, organ, and cello. The traditional, almost retro sound of the backing tracks and Taylor's fiercely contemporary lyrics create a tension that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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