Taylor Holden: Home

[Benjamin A. Vazquez U.E.]

Home

Artist: Taylor Holden
Album: Home
Year: 2016
CD#: XXXXX
Canadian? Yes
Best Tracks: #2, #4, #6
Comments Overall: Simple, upbeat, down-to-earth, heartwarming, songs of young love and simple pleasures, magnificent

1. Southwestern Ontario, 3:35 - Voice and limited instrumentation, simple and sincere, celebrating quiet days at a pond, fades out
2. Me and You, 3:46 - Begins with guitar and voice, additional instruments come in gradually, becomes remarkably upbeat and fun, fades out
3. Birthday Song, 2:39 - Ukulele, chipper and upbeat, a romantic weekend in the bush with a lover, wide-eyed and youthful
4. Tacky Plaid T-Shirts, 3:44 - Begins softly, rises throughout, tale of a young romance growing and withering and possibly coming back to life, energetic before the end, then fades out gradually
5. Home, 3:34 - Begins with guitar picking, bursts into energy, upbeat, energetic, inviting a wanderer to come back home, fades out
6. Messes, 4:32 - Rhythmic, elegant, simple, instrumentation comes in gradually, well composed, fades out at the end
7. Chase After You, 2:20 - Simple, elegant piece with vocals and accordion, fades out

Note I: Also posted under Folk.

Website: taylorholden.com/
Bandcamp: taylorholden.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/taylorholdenmusic/
Twitter: twitter.com/taaylorholden

[Benjamin A. Vazquez U.E.]

Imagine a small pond in a wooded area on a hot summer's day. The trees promise relief from the sweltering heat - the pond itself even more so. A collection of ducks gathers on one of the pond. At the other end, the silence is broken by laughter as a small cluster of friends lie on the grass.

This, in a nutshell, is Taylor Holden.

I first encountered Taylor's golden voice two years ago at the East Village Coffee House. Even then, she was a magnificent performer, enchanting her audience with magnificent stories wrapped up in delicate melodies. Since then she's only gotten better in leaps and bounds, and her latest album, simply titled "Home", is a genuinely impressive leap. I'm reminded of Alanna Gurr, Olenka Krakus, or even Basia Bulat.

The album is warm, innocent, and heartwarming. It speaks to youthful romances and lazy summer days. It is impossible to listen to it without a smile coming to one's face. But underneath these lyrics is a sophisticated series of interlocking melodies laid one over another to create an incredibly rich audible tapestry. Rising above it all is Taylor's golden voice.

"Home" is destined to become one of my favourite CDs, a work I can reliably turn to for simple and spectacular pleasures alike. But if Taylor Holden's past two years are any indication, "Home" may prove only a foretaste, and London may have yet another musical master in the making.

You can see Taylor Holden perform at the Home County Music & Art Festival this weekend in Victoria Park! She'll be performing Friday July 15th at 6pm on the Main Stage, Saturday July 16th at 3pm on the South Stage and Sunday July 17th at 3pm on the Centre Stage.

-Benjamin Vazquez

CHRW Radio: chrwradio.ca/content/home-taylor-holden