White African (album)

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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)

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]

Production[edit]

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[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Calgary Herald[14]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[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[edit]

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[edit]

  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 – via Google Books.
  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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