UK’s best known and most highly respected musician, troubadour, activist, justice and peace campaigner Sean Taylor releases his spectacular new album The End Of The Rainbow on September 13th.
As the multiple Blues Awards nominee explains:
Some people keep diaries I make albums, to quote John Martyn. This makes perfect sense. I write, record, tour, and repeat. The End of the Rainbow is an album of hope and despair. We are surrounded by war and deprivation, fear and famine. Terror is the daily reality for so many of us. Never have we been so divided, desperate, and alone.
At the same time, there will always be hope. Resistance comes through solidarity, our collective experience and the power of our shared humanity: The triumph of tenderness over cruelty. It’s quite political and quite a dark record, because the world is quite dark at the moment.
The first of the 10 original tracks solely written by Taylor is “Berlin.” which is about a week he spent in what he describes as one of the most vibrant and inspirational cities in the world. The vibe is jaunty throughout with a catchy chorus, “Berlin always tastes like more” and swirling background electric strings and keys.
The blues don’t run much deeper than “Eternal Damnation” which is about the darkness of the world, the mood reflected in the heavier drums, electric guitars and wailing harp solo. However, as Sean explains, it is not as though we have a choice, life doesn’t come with an alternative, it is up to us to ask for more. The album title is taken from these lyrics.
The challenging nature of relationships is explored in the gorgeously atmospheric “Invitation” with its sublime piano accompaniment and Brian Standefer’s glorious cello. The clever repetition of lines starting with “Come to me in in darkness, Come to me in radiance” plus observations such as “your imperfections make you perfect” are reminiscent of Leonard Cohen. Indeed the whole delivery here is Cohen-esque without any sense of setting out to achieve the comparison. This is a reflection of Sean’s voice training and increasing vocal range over recent years.
“2024” is described by Taylor as “an electric blues track about the bleak nature of the world at the moment. It is definitely born out of living in England in 2024: ‘The schools are falling down and there is sewage in the sea’ could be any news bulletin in this country. It is a song of two halves. The verses are the negativity in the world, the queue for the food bank curls around the block but the chorus ‘Always asks for more’ is the resistance. The video shows this contrast brilliantly. It’s me trying to find hope. Because the alternative is just to lay down and die.”
Sean’s trademark mellifluous voice, at times almost a whisper, is transformed by the anguish and heartache he feels when singing about a subject he cares passionately about. Mainly an acoustic player, he maintains a strong groove on his electric guitar, adding depth to the overall sound. Linton’s roots are in Jamaica, and the former London Underground busker brings his unique blend of blues with shades of reggae to the mix with contrasting raw harp wailing and gentle laconic vibes. Justin Carroll is a master’s graduate who gives a Hammond organ master class both in his background playing and tasteful empathetic solos. The chorus of the song, “Always Ask For More… 2024” is a key central message and it is Donna’s inspirational backing vocals which provides the dramatic effect.
The song co-written with Mike Seal from their personal experiences, “DWP” is a melancholy piano-driven account of the bureaucracy and humiliations faced by job seekers including self-employed musicians. Sean explains, “The humiliation of being treated like dirt has pushed so many people over the edge. This song is dedicated to those damaged and destroyed by a broken system.” The lyrics and associated imagery of this slow burner are unsurprisingly cutting. “It’s a lean, mean murdering machine/That wants us to give up on life/Make no excuse jump through hoops/They grin as they sharpen the knife.”
The mood changes dramatically with “Mary Jane,” an Americana celebration with mandolin and banjo played brightly and intricately by Ben Walker.
The true and fascinating story of rediscovering 1930s Delta blues legend Skip James is told in “Searching For Skip James.” According to Sean, “The song was inspired by the film ‘Two Trains Running’ which blends the civil rights murders with the search for Skip James and Son House.” Taylor is a consummate storyteller so the narrative rolls along effortlessly, the three blues-fanatic Californian college students venturing into the Deep South finding the long forgotten James who subsequently achieved the recognition he deserved.
Rolling and tumbling dystopian balladry best describes “The End,” the finger picking strings and fluent keys in perfect synchronization, the clever percussion adding tension and drama.
Sean has a special connection with Ireland as his family are Liverpool Irish from County Meath. “Way Down In Enniscorthy” celebrates the second largest town in County Wexford. The video is a special live version filmed at the Green Note in Camden, London with his international touring trio comprising Mike Seal on double bass and Paulina Sczcepaniak on percussion. Sean’s distinctive soulful vocals and fluid boogie-woogie piano accompanied by probably the best acoustic rhythm section in the UK stand out in this memorable, upbeat performance.
An optimistic call is made for universal human rights on “Only Beauty Can Save The World” because without these they are meaningless. Poland’s Basia Bartz embellishes this song beautifully with her virtuosic violin performance.
Taylor wrote the folksy “Gaia” as a celebration of the beauty of wildlife and nature. The song is named after the mythical Greek Goddess of Earth personifying Mother Nature. In modern times ‘Gaia’ symbolises the interconnectedness of nature which protects and repairs itself against the self-destructive behaviour of human beings. This magnificently arranged ballad showcases the best of Sean’s 12-string acoustic guitar playing and vocals. Producer and guitar virtuoso Ben Walker plays equally atmospheric acoustic and electric guitars whilst Donna Edmead provides complementary shimmering backing vocals.
Sean Taylor has released 14 albums since the millennium, from home made recordings to the highly acclaimed GRAMMY deserving productions of recent years. His modest assessment of The End Of The Rainbow is: “Musically, I think these new songs are more sophisticated. I’m adding harmonies, bridges, different chords, outros, intros, trying to make each song a story within itself. I’m really trying to be open to becoming a better songwriter.”
This latest opus certainly keeps Taylor on an upward trajectory. Meteorologically there may be no end to a rainbow but that won’t deter Sean from searching for and pursuing his lifelong quest for music perfection, love and peace.
Album Credits
Sean Taylor – Vocals, Guitars, Piano & Harmonica
Ben Walker – Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin & Keyboards
Mike Seal – Double Bass & Electric Bass
Paulina Szczepaniak – Percussion & Drums
Errol Linton – Harmonica on “2024”
Justin Carroll – Hammond Organ on “2024”
Brian Standefer – Cello on “Invitation”
Basia Bartz – Violin on “Only Beauty Can Save The World”
Donna Edmead – Backing Vocals on ‘2024’, “Way Down In Enniscorthy” & “Gaia”
Album recorded, produced & mixed by Ben Walker/Mastered by Mark Hallman/ Design by Nick Barber
Video clips from radical filmmaker Shaun Day from Reel NewsFeature /Image and Single Artwork
LYRICS by Sean Taylor
“Only Beauty Can Save The World”
The fathers are all missing
The mothers are all dead
The children are all starving
There is no daily bread
A land destroyed, a country gone
Eyes as cold as death
Politicians are as silent
As a dead baby’s breath
A lonely cry, a solemn voice
Only beauty can save the world
A midnight bell, a funeral march
Only beauty can save the world
Different rules exist it seems
As families are left to die
You are scorned if you oppose it
Or ask the question why?
When you see your friends killed
Right before your eyes
When the killers have impunity
The law does not apply
A battle cry, a morning prayer
Only beauty can save the world
Your silence is complicity
Only beauty can save the world
