Maria Taylor Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Maria Taylor's third solo album finds the songwriter ruminating over a relationship gone wrong, with folksy pop/rock orchestrations replacing the electronic elements that previously peppered her music. Organs and mellotrons are still present, but LadyLuck is largely an acoustic album, dressed up with string arrangements and other flourishes yet still focused on Taylor's vocals and guitar. She wields a versatile alto, one that's equally adept at helming warm ballads and wringing the nuances out of seemingly commonplace hooks. "Oh, we dreamed a life," she sings during "Time Lapse Timeline," delivering the lines at a relaxed pace that often falls just after the beat. "It was just like that, and just like that it's gone." Occasionally, such heartbroken lyrics steer the music too avidly, and "Orchids" treads a dangerously fine line between lush, pretty balladry and magnified melancholia. But Taylor knows when to contrast her musings with her music, and she balances LadyLuck's poignancy with some surprisingly bright moments, from the summery strum of the title track (whose doot doot vocal hook and woodwind arrangement recalls Sufjan Stevens' work) to "Cartoons and Forever Plans," which features distinctive harmonies by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe. Those seeking Azure Ray's dreamy pop won't find much comfort here, and Taylor's whimsical lyrics -- which, during their gooiest moments, reference things like endless dreams, hummingbirds, and green butterflies -- aren't for the cynical of heart. Still, her foray into the singer/songwriter world has been a thoroughly enjoyable one, and LadyLuck proves to be another fine release. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
'Lynn Teeter Flower'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 11
Label Saddle Creek
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The words "Lynn Teeter Flower" won't mean much to anyone who wasn't a part of Maria Taylor's formative years in Birmingham, AL, but they have a way of imparting a sense of what the artist's sophomore disc sounds like -- pretty, charmingly off-kilter, this side of eccentric. Unlike 11:11, Taylor's great debut disc, Lynn Teeter Flower, named for a onetime family friend, follows its own carefully considered path. Where the first album leaned hard on the jittery Bright Eyes sound, the second charts a course through sparer but still pillowy sounding territory. In ten songs (the eleventh is more a late-coming interlude than a song -- it unspools a child's sing-songy tribute to "Lynn Flower"), Taylor lays out tales of sadness, self-doubt and elusive love that seem hand-dunked in humanity -- see "My Own Fault" and "Smile and Wave" for the best examples. Throughout, a cutback on shimmery electronic effects results in a lived-in sound; there's a shabby chic-ness to these songs, and also a believability. Taylor's voice is part Elizabeth Mitchell and part Sarah McLachlan, minus the syrup. Like the name "Lynn Teeter Flower," it issues from somewhere plain and true and captivates fully. ~ Tammy La Gorce, All Music Guide
