About
Louise got her first guitar at age 12, given to her by her brother. She says that among the first people she remembers listening to were Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, Leon Russell, and Nina Simone.
Her first forays into performing involved "street music," where she'd take four to six songs she'd written, find a street corner, and play them over and over. Her distinct rhythmic style was developed on the streets, she says. Struck by wanderlust, she left home at fifteen and hitchhiked and busked her way around the United States. At age twenty, she stayed in Texas for six months, near the Gulf of Mexico, She got a job as a waitress in a cantina and became immersed in the world of the local fishermen. This sojourn is documented in the vivid and moving song, "Blue Northern," from her third album, Ride.
Listening is somewhat of a full-bodied experience, with feet tapping and body swaying in slightly different patterns as you enjoy the beautifully crafted lyrics....
“Love in the Dark” is particularly haunting as Taylor takes her time with each line.
“The beauty of her lips trembling against the sky
cut out of shadow framed in the rarest light
I want to believe and if I could I would
whisper all the secrets of my heart
love looks gorgeous in the dark.”
A mature and deeply satisfying achievement from a uniquely talented artist. ---
Michael Devlin ~ Music Matters
Music Matters on 'Tangerine', July 2012
This album is somewhat of a duet, with a Duesenburg hollow-body electric guitar as Louise Taylor’s singing partner. The guitar’s tangerine finish stands in contrast to the warm, sultry tone and supple touch of Taylor’s fingers on the strings. Her warmblooded vocals are filled with nuanced variations of color and rhythm as she coaxes darkly human chords and riffs from her citrus guitar. Although Louise is abetted only by the drumming of Jerry Marotta, you couldn’t describe the album as stripped-down. Taylor treats each phrase as an opportunity to explore the melody and the meaning of the words. Her guitar plays with the beat while laying down the mood and melody in rounded tones. Jerry Marotta is masterful, answering producer Peter Gallway’s call to provide percussion for the album with a distinctively tasteful, but light touch. Listening is somewhat of a full-bodied experience, with feet tapping and body swaying in slightly different patterns as you enjoy the beautifully crafted lyrics. The narrative threads of the songs are shortimpressions and snapshots colored with dusky emotion and resounding serenity. “Love in the Dark” is particularly haunting as Taylor takes her time with each line. “The beauty of her lips trembling against the sky/ cut out of shadow framed in the rarest light/ I want to believe and if I could I would/ whisper all the secrets of my heart/ love looks gorgeous in the dark.” A mature and deeply satisfying achievement from a uniquely talented artist. --- Michael Devlin