Lewis Taylor
Stoned Pt.1

THE REVIEW

Lewis Taylor is English, white, and a multi-instrumentalist. But he makes R&B mixed with a kind of rogue rock, as if Marvin Gaye had met Jimi Hendrix (And maybe they had dropped acid together).
After two unfortunate but majestic albums released by Island Records (1996 - 2000) and not counting a 1998 work that is still unpublished, Lewis Taylor has decided on his path for the new millennium: self-production and self-distribution.
With this in mind, Lewis founded his own label, "Slow Reality," selling only online and in HMV chain stores. He doesn't need much marketing; D'Angelo has already contacted him for a collaboration, Elton John bought 80 copies of one of his albums, and the number of illustrious fans increases day by day.

This first independent album leaves one surprised: Mr. Taylor has never been so easy to listen to: a peculiar fate for a work now free from contractual obligations with a major record label. The earlier works were indeed characterized by very abstract forms, music made more of "oblique strategies" than verses, bridges, and choruses; "Stoned pt.1" instead shows for the first time the songwriter dealing with the classic forms of popular music, and the beauty is that he hasn't lost a cent of his style, in fact, this work has acquired that stylistic/emotional cohesion that previous works lacked.
He probably fell in love (In fact, it's certain. Who could that Sabina Smyth be, co-writer of most of the pieces?), but even if it weren't so, it's difficult to stay still when listening to an extremely groovy "Lovelight" reminiscent of the best Grace Jones (The one from "nightclubbing"), to dream with an atmospheric "when will I ever learn pt.1" and (indeed) fall in love to the notes of "send me an angel".

Taylor has become more pop, but fortunately this time it's not a flaw.