It still amazes me when I run into Christian alternative music fans unaware of Terry Taylor. Terry was the leader of original CCM band Daniel Amos, which in its earliest days started off Beatlesque pop, then played sometimes sardonic apocalyptic C&W in the 70s (their most mainstream-accepted period), and then transformed into a seminal, inarguably high quality alternative rock band from around late '78 till now, in various mutations (DA, Da, da). He also heads the brilliant often satirical rock band Swirling Eddies, and the magnificent Lost Dogs, which have also featured the talents of Mike Roe (77s), Derri Daugherty (The Choir), and the late, great Gene Eugene.
But who cares? I mean, seriously, you probably had to be there. I mean, the albums you might be lucky to find (against all odds, considering the lame-ass inability of Nashvegas to keep classic full albums of Christian rock classics in print -- and trust me, there ARE some classics, just as important to the artform and many people as anything the Stones, the Clash, or Led Zep ever released) may not seem all that astounding after over ten years of listening to underbaked niched-out genre loaves and gnarly oversweetened pop biscuits.
Honestly, around '93, it seemed like the rock community lost its ability to discern a Nirvana from a Bush. Something about digital reproduction, the coming of age of kids who were deformed through the New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul years, and the dominance of hip hop meant the Zeetgeese had flown on, southbound again. I'm serious. I'm surprised any of you can tell a good song from a bad song. But I digress.
Silent Planet Records is doing an amazing job of putting out some high quality releases of superior adult music -- the recent Jan Krist greatest hits was an astounding collection of terrific material from one of the best songwriters in the country. Honestly, that was more community service than just putting out a record. Now SP releases Terry Taylor's new solo album, the follow up to last year's (KMG-released) "John Wayne." And while it doesn't rock with venom again like that startling comeback, it does something even more magical: Truly showing how Taylor isn't merely a highly gifted Christian songwriter, but a songwriter in the immortal realms of artists like Dylan, Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, and Tom Petty. Artists that have shocked and amazed their audiences at every turn of their careers, and every year come up with new stuff that continues to challenge and be worthy of recruiting new followers to its creator.
That said, no one is doing songs like Taylor -- he has the dark wit and realistic eye for detail of a Zevon or Newman, the catchy Beatlesque pop style of a Costello, the talent for crafting a spectacular spiritually-tinged anthem like Dylan, and rocks with grace and dignity and raw nerve like Petty. But deep in there is the heart of a lion, a loving view of life and redemption and our broken ways that inspire emotions in the listener the other songwriters are rarely capable of. As Chesterton was to the mystery story (as described by Borges), Taylor is to semi-pop cult rock music. This is all first person narratives about the deeper things that really change us, and the shallow things that can't -- the things that we all experience, that we all love, hope, and fear. Whether wrapping his intelligent observations of community decay and moral corruption ("Capistrano Beach") in bitterly sweet sunbaked Mexican-inflected folk-pop, delivering a painfully tragic but delicately phrased story of a father losing his daughter in sublime balladry ("The Afternoon"), or rocking out delightfully in XTC-style to a complaint about lack of financial success ("Built Her A Cloud," one of my favorite songs this summer), Taylor has created a perfect adult singer-songwriter's album. It is a gallery, a work of literature. It is a collection of 11 songs you can spend at least as many years with.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerOn his last solo outing, the 1998 Beatles-meet-the-90s masterpiece John Wayne, Daniel Amos frontman Terry Taylor took shots at spiritually bankrupt Orange County, as well as topics ranging from the Christian music industry to personal hypocrisy. This year's Avocado Faultline covers many of the same topics, but instead of talking from an outsider's perspective, Taylor has chosen to get inside the…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Terry WandtkeThe liner notes accompanying Terry Taylor's new album Avocado Faultline are extensive and to be honest, I'm thrilled about that simple fact. Of course, I buy CD's for the music they contain but as a book lover at heart, I feel a bit cheated when they are only accompanied by a one page insert with scant information and no artwork. For me, the liner notes are part of the entire experience a CD…Similar sounding releases
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2005John PrineFair & Square
2003Jeff TalmadgeGravity, Grace, and the Moon
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2004Buddy MillerUniversal United House of Prayer
1998Robin MarkThis City These Streets
