PAM TAYLOR BAND
HOT MESS
SELF-RELEASED
SMILE AGAIN–HOT MESS–WHATCHA DOIN–IT’S SO EASY–NOT THE ONLY ONE–ALL THE SAME TO ME–NEXT TIME YOU THINK OF CHEATING–I’D RATHER GO BLIND–I AIN’T THE ONE–ALL I GOT LEFT
As soon as you hear Pam Taylor, you know she’s got one of those take-no-prisoners voices with the attitude to match. But, the more you listen to her, you can see that she goes waay deeper than her tough-chick exterior, with a softer side that’ll draw you in along with her. Such is the case with her latest release, “Hot Mess,” which includes nine originals and a smoldering cover of “I’d Rather Go Blind.”
Pam, who handles vocals and guitar, is backed by a tremendous core of players. Mike Taylor is on sax, Rusty Gilreath is on bass, Kyle Phillips is on second guitar, Ryan Christ Winters is on keys, and L A Freeman and Gerry Hagstedt are on drums. These songs are well-arranged by Pam, making sure each member gets to stretch out on most cuts. And, she has a way with a lyric in her songs that deal with love, loss, revenge, and redemption.
The party starts with the driving, riff-heavy “Smile Again.” A lover that just can’t seem to take no for an answer is the protagonist of the midtempo “Whatcha Doin,” then makes the tough choice to tell a good man that, sadly, “you’re Not The Only One.” Pam’s sly tale of endless come-ons from guys in a bar has her telling them they’re “All The Same To Me.” The slide guitar and sax interplay is in top form here, a perfect slice of roadhouse-rockin’ blues. And, potential cheaters beware–Hell hath no fury like Pam Taylor scorned, as evidenced in the slow-burn of “Next Time You Think About Cheating,” and the wah-wah ride that is “I Ain’t The One.”
We had two favorites, too. She shows her playful, coquettish side in the walking beat of “It’s So Easy.” The title cut refers to the type we’ve all seen—dressing waaaay too young, stayin’ out all night and hooking up with Mr. Wrong. In short, she’s a “Hot Mess,” punctuated by a scratchin’ guitar and wailin’ sax, and “Taylor-made” for the dance floor
Pam Taylor is a true Southern woman of the blues who knows what she wants and how to get it. Her voice has that fire and passion that it takes to be a star in today’s blues scene, and “Hot Mess” is sho’ nuff a hot debut! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow.
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