Joanne Shaw Taylor: Blues From The Heart Live

Joanne Shaw Taylor
Blues From the Heart Live
KTBA Records
2022

The title of Joanne Shaw Taylor's Blues From The Heart Live is no more redundant than the one assigned to her last studio release. On The Blues Album (KTBA Records, 2021), the British blueswoman revealed the roots and influences of her previous works that consist mostly of original material, and in doing so, she dramatically elevated the authenticity of her modern take on the elemental genre. This concert piece, available in CD/DVD format (as well as a similar Blu Ray pairing) only adds to her musicianly credibility, not to mention elevating her ever-rising profile.

At the very outset, a clutch of covers appears in a sequence that mirrors the approach of last year's release (like this one, produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith). This set list thus renders as virtual rehearsal the previously-released selections in the form of a co-write of the late Peter Green's called "Stop Messing' 'Round" and "If That Ain't A Reason;" in the end, however, the duplicates serve as a means of ratifying Taylor's feel for blues music and its attendant styles of soul and r&b.

The dual presence of background vocalists Devonne Fowlkes and Kim Fleming amplify those latter stylistic elements on this Wilson Pickett cover "Three Time Loser" as well as on "I'm In Chains." For her own part, Taylor's voice sounds noticeably huskier here and that turns "Keep On Lovin' Me" even more seductive. Likewise, her heated, biting style of guitaring imbues "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody" with an indisputable no-nonsense air.

The cut immediately following, Albert King's "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me," is the first of a handful of sit-ins during Blues From The Heart Live. Guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd acquits himself with some restraint during his interactions with the frontwoman, thankfully not extending his appearance much longer than the average length of these sixteen selections (four to seven minutes approximately). Adding intimacy to this recording, Taylor's own self-effacing between-song repartee is comparably pithy and, in that regard, neither vocalist Mike Farris (on "I Don't Know What You've Got") nor KTBA label co-founder/guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa (on his three performances at DVD's end), commit the egregious sin of self-indulgence.

That said, the latter's presence might well have been relegated to the novel choice of a closing number in the form of Delaney & Bonnie and Friends' arrangement of Dave Mason's "Only You And I Know." Such deletion might've afforded saxophonist Dave McMurray more moments in the spotlight like "Two Time My Lovin'" or, better yet, given more prominence to what is otherwise just a 'Bonus Track' here: this sultry reading of the late Gregg Allman's "I'm No Angel" suggests the inclusion of more such contemporary covers is an avenue of potential exploration for Joanne Shaw Taylor.

As director/producer of the Blues From The Heart Live film, DeAnn Forbes applies the same healthy self-discipline to the eighty-four minute video that the core septet instills in its musicianship. Within "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody," to name one, fluid transitions from one camera angle to another, interwoven with panorama and across stage shots, besides various closeups, actually mirror the trade- offs between the instrumentalists. Visuals thus further the unflagging momentum of the performance and, without any lavish or otherwise extraneous stage production to intrude, the drama arises from the musicians themselves; the filmmakers capture it in such vivid fashion, the images will come to mind listening to the CD (whether going mobile or in the comfort of home).

No doubt such immediacy struck the boisterous attendees of the Franklin Theatre in Tennessee the night of this concert (actually only the second of Taylor's in two years). As something of a substitute for that in- person experience, the other of the two bonus features on DVD is titled 'All Access Pass -Behind the Scenes.' Living up to its title, the roughly ten-minute long segment consists of a relatively relaxed stroll through the hidden machinations back stage, in a series of film and photo snippets and conversation with the principals (unfortunately dominated by Bonamassa). It provides both a backdrop for and contrast to the intensity Joanne Shaw Taylor and company generate up while in front of the audience.

Even given its limits, the footage only adds to the overall experience that is Blues From the Heart. As does, to an even greater degree, the generous twenty-four page booklet within a rich, full-color dual-fold digi-pak: it's the stuff of deluxe appellations and, as such, underscores how fitting is this package's heading.

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