Mick Taylor – Feeding The Machine
by Janet Goodman
Detroit artist Mick Taylor has many strengths. Killer, high-octane electric guitar solos in the Peter Frampton mode is one of them. So is penning hooky choruses for melodic rock songs. On his latest release, “Feeding the Machine,” Taylor has patched together a quilt of different musical fabrics, from retro-80s rock and roll, to country crossover, to heavy metal. 13 of the 14 songs presented are written solely by Taylor, who is featured on all the instruments and vocals, with the exception of “The Color of Love,” which is co-written and performed with Tim Lorey.
First up on the album is the soft-rock nostalgic look back on “Dreams of Yesterday.” Slick and crisp guitar work punctuates in all the perfect places, like on “What It Means to Be an American.” His best country-foot forward is the shuffle “Beat to Hell .com,” where Taylor’s gruff-and-yell style vocal delivery, hot guitar runs and solid lyrics come together to tell a story in rapid-fire fashion: “Over worked, over stressed, under paid, what a mess/My life has become/Gonna grab me a cold one, get in line, have some fun/Get nothin’ done son/Rappin’ with my home boys, gonna make a little noise/As soon as I log on/And check me out all night long/At beat to hell .com.”
Heavy metal is no doubt right in Taylor’s wheelhouse. Stand-out track “Daddy’s Little Princess” is where the testosterone-pumped singer absurdly takes on the persona of an “I-want-I-want” spoiled brat of a daughter, who devilishly screams, “Daddy, give me more than I need, make your wallet bleed.” It’s a risky perspective that has a huge pay-off. The title track’s political message is told with metal’s angry passion, backed by puffs of steam and clanking pipes, and is well-suited for the energized artist.
Some songs here only have moments of greatness - songs with either stiff lyrics or ballad tempos that clash with his singing style, but those moments of clean guitar work are glorious.
Visit the artist’s website at www.taylormademusic.net
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