Wikipedia

White African (album)

White African is an album by the American musician Otis Taylor, released in 2001.[2][3] The album won Taylor a W. C. Handy Award for best new blues artist.[4]

White African
Studio album by
Otis Taylor
Released2001
Recorded2000
GenreBlues
LabelNorthernBlues Music[1]
ProducerKenny Passarelli
Otis Taylor chronology
When Negroes Walked the Earth
(1997) 		White African
(2001) 		Respect the Dead
(2002)

Production

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Recorded in 2000, the album was produced by Kenny Passarelli, who also played bass.[5][6] Taylor's daughter Cassie sang on the album.[7] The album booklet contains mugshots of Black men arrested for vagrancy in Kansas in the early part of the 20th century.[8] Taylor played a 1949 Gibson L-50 guitar.[9]

"Saint Martha Blues" references the lynching of Taylor's great-grandfather.[10] "Lost My Horse" is about alcoholism.[11] "3 Days and 3 Nights" deals with the consequences of a lack of affordable medical care.[12]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [13]
Calgary Herald    [14]
Robert Christgau   [15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [16]
The Gazette     [17]
Ottawa Citizen     [6]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings    [5]

Robert Christgau praised "My Soul's in Louisiana" and "Saint Martha Blues".[15] The Gazette wrote that Taylor "draws you into the songs with riveting, trance-like rhythms that lend powerful support to his passionate, often angry, vocals."[17] The Commercial Appeal noted that the album "ties [John Lee] Hooker's guitar style to socially and politically charged lyrics."[18]

The Globe and Mail stated that "the album's minimalist trance-blues are delivered with a sparse elegance through Taylor's gruff vocals and acoustic guitar, banjo and mandolin."[19] The Calgary Herald deemed White African "a stunning display of traditional blues in a sparse and timeless context."[14] The Philadelphia Inquirer called Taylor "a contemporary artist who captures the stark immediacy of traditional blues while sounding like no one else."[20]

AllMusic wrote: "Greatly influenced by John Lee Hooker, the very soulful Taylor often favors moody, dusky, haunting grooves."[13]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."My Soul's in Louisiana" 
2."Resurrection Blues" 
3."Momma Don't You Do It" 
4."3 Days and 3 Nights" 
5."Round and Round" 
6."Stick on You" 
7."Rain So Hard" 
8."Lost My Horse" 
9."Saint Martha Blues" 
10."Ain't No Cowgirl" 
11."Hungry People" 

References

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  1. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (6 Mar 2001). "Gritty, minimalist blues songsmith...". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 35.
  2. ^ "Otis Taylor Biography". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Blues Singer Otis Taylor". Fresh Air. NPR.
  4. ^ Morthland, John (September 3, 2003). "Otis Taylor's spooky, hypnotic blues records". Slate.
  5. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 634.
  6. ^ a b Provencher, Norman (17 Mar 2001). "White African Otis Taylor". Ottawa Citizen. p. K4.
  7. ^ Koster, Michael (27 Oct 2000). "An Original Sound on the Scene". Albuquerque Journal. p. 2.
  8. ^ Terrell, Steve (6 Apr 2001). "Terrell's Tune-Up". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. P30.
  9. ^ Isola, Gregory (Jul 2001). "Otis Taylor". Guitar Player. Vol. 35, no. 7. pp. 56–58.
  10. ^ Gussow, Adam (March 15, 2010). Seems Like Murder Here: Southern Violence and the Blues Tradition. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-31100-5.
  11. ^ Hurst, Jeff (23 Mar 2001). "Otis Taylor White African". Cambridge Times. p. 9.
  12. ^ Miles, Milo (15 Jan 2002). "Born under a bad sign". The Village Voice. Vol. 47, no. 2. pp. 59, 61.
  13. ^ a b "White African". AllMusic.
  14. ^ a b Hogan, Ray (19 Apr 2001). "Otis Taylor White African". Calgary Herald. p. HL14.
  15. ^ a b "Otis Taylor". Robert Christgau.
  16. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 69.
  17. ^ a b Regenstreif, Mike (1 Mar 2001). "Blues". The Gazette. Montreal. p. D11.
  18. ^ Ellis, Bill (30 June 2001). "John Lee Hooker's Influence Boogies On". The Commercial Appeal. p. E1.
  19. ^ Wheeler, Brad (8 Mar 2001). "White African Otis Taylor". The Globe and Mail. p. R4.
  20. ^ Christiano, Nick (8 July 2001). "Davis highlights blues releases". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H12.
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