HUDPETH AND TAYLOR
FOLIE A DEUX
BIG FAT HAIRY LIE–WALKING DOWN THE ROAD…–I’LL BE RIGHT BACK–I KNOW IT’S GONNA RAIN AGAIN–CANDY MAN–SILLY BILLY–ROCK WITH ME BABY–LOW DOWN DEALER MAN–SOMETIMES YOU ACT CRAZY–FOLIS A DEUX–FUTURE–WHEN YOU COMIN’ HOME–DADDY BABY
Friends for over twenty years, guitarist Brandon Hudspeth and vocalist/percussionist Jaisson Taylor met on the Kansas City scene when Brandon was seeking a duet partner. They built a following thru local gigs, and the whole thing sort of mushroomed. Brandon is on all the guitars, and Jaisson is on vocals, augmented by his use of various percussion instruments to pump up the duo’s sound, built around the traditional African instrument, the cajon, literally translated as “the box.” Their debut is entitled “Folie A Deux,” which showcases how these two great talents mesh to form a unique and solid sound.
Slide guitar drives the opening cut, as the smooth-voiced Jaisson knows that nothin’ busts up a love affair faster than a “Big Fat Hairy Lie!” “Walkin’ Down The Road” follows that good ole Jimmy Reed lope, while bad love and bad weather are the perfect partners in “I Know It’s Gonna Rain Again.” “Silly Billy,” that “dancin’ fool,” who “keeps an eye on all he skirts,” is done up in a jazzy, Django-ish groove, while that “Low Down Dealer Man” is the story of a blackjack dealer hell bent on taking all our hero’s money!! Brandon’s excellent dobro sets the tone on this one, too.
We had three favorites, “Candy Man” is traditional blues at its best , a lively tale of a young man who makes all the wrong choices, and suffers the consequences. Moody chicks are the subject of the slow-blues story of our hero just tryin’ to cope, but, “Sometimes You Act Crazy,” and, then, “crazy is yo’ middle name!! The set closes with Jaisson’s percussive skills settin’ the tone on the call-and-response of the raucous “I wanna be your Daddy Baby!”
Brandon Hudspeth and Jaisson Taylor take the “blues as a duo” format and turn it into something powerful and passionate. “Folie A Deux” brings together two exceptional talents for a fun ride down the blues highway! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues And Roots Alliance.
donandsherylsbluesblog 