Positively Beautiful - Lewis
Taylor News
Issue One: Stoned
Reality
Welcome to the First Issue of
our Newsletter!
The inaugural issue of
Positively Beautiful, the newsletter bringing you real news of
Lewis Taylor and what he's up to. For the fans and by the fans, along with -
wherever appropriate and possible - official confirmation and/or input from
Lewis' camp. One thing's for sure - if you see news here it's real, not
rumour!
We aim to provide for fans pertinent
information, previews and reviews of all things Lewis Taylor, over time. News
will always be confirmed before it appears here, or definite possibilities
clearly stated if they're unconfirmed. If you have an opinion, however, about a
Lewis gig, have an album review, related links, comments, suggestions or
questions, send them along! This newsletter is truly for the fans and by the
fans - we want to know what you'd like to see here, and we welcome contributions
appropriate to the spirit of this newsletter.
Something that Positively
Beautiful would like to initiate along the way is a Question &
Answer section about and/or for Lewis. We offer no guarantees at all in
connection with any Q & A - but if you do have questions feel free to send
them along. We'll do our best to get you the real answers, with input from Lewis
himself if possible.
Private Gig at the Noble Rot
Club in London, August 20, 2002
Lewis made a welcome return to live band
action when he appeared at a free, private gig - primarily for the benefit of
fans - at the Noble Rot Club (http://www.noblerot.com/) in London on
August 20, 2002. His performance wowing everyone, Lewis proved that he's still
got an abundance of everything he ever had and then some. The setlist for the
evening was as follows:
Lucky - 10 minute version
Lewis II
Thinking All About It
Betterlove
Little Wing
Song
Damn
That Lady
Superstitious
New Album Release
Scheduled!
The news we've all been waiting for and
excited about: a new album coming out soon! Scheduled for an October 21, 2002 UK
release on Slow Reality Records - Lewis' own - the album is
titled Stoned Part One.
We'll let the following tell you more...
the official promotional material being sent out to industry with pre-release
copies of Lewis' new album, followed by a personal preview of the album by Mark
Ede of What's The Word.
LEWIS TAYLOR - STONED PART
ONE
The name Lewis Taylor conjures up as
many diverse opinions, thoughts and descriptions as have been attributed -
accurately or otherwise - to the man himself.
'Maverick' and 'genius' feature highly
on the list from those in the know - include in that group D'Angelo, Bowie,
Aaliyah, Q-Tip, Elton John, Chaka Khan, Glenn Lewis, Paul Weller, Timbaland,
Michael Hutchensen, Joan Armatrading, Daryl Hall, along with many US R&B and
gangster rap giants. Now add in any and every musician one happens to bump into
around town. Huge fans, one and all.
'A modern day Syd Barrett', the 'new
Brian Wilson' and 'Marvin Gaye's lovechild born of Frank Zappa' are other
descriptions. Still others include 'child prodigy' - true, Lewis really was
playing serious music from the age of four. 'Music obsessive' - it seems he
actually can immerse himself for months on end in his home studio. The list of
descriptors goes on.
To many, Lewis Taylor is simply one of
the greatest voices in popular music, an outrageously talented lead guitar
player, accomplished multi-instrumentalist and visionary producer. 'One of the
truly great songwriters of his age' is another claim.
We'll gloss over the other - accurate or
otherwise - references to past-attributed drug problems, personality traits,
behaviours, emotional welfare and other claims very often made by people who
have never actually met him. Still, as it's said: any publicity.
Yes, the myths and mystique surrounding
the persona known as Lewis Taylor are, seemingly, endless.
But does any of this matter? Well, not
really. The main thing is the music. Like it or not, it's hard to define it;
even harder to deny it, and harder still to deny the talent that produces
it.
After a couple of remarkable albums with
a major (the first of which still appears on several influential 'best ever
album' lists), Lewis parted company with Island Records. Actually he walked, but
as we've come to see, who's interested in the facts where Lewis Taylor is
concerned?
Stoned Part One
is Lewis' 'comeback' record. Not that he ever went away, of course. He's
actually spent the last two years doing privately what he has always done:
making music. This time, Lewis has made it under his own steam, at his own pace
and in his own way.
And the album
preview....
Submitted by Mark Ede of What's The
Word
The contents of this CD are there to
enjoy, and - it must be said - to speak for themselves.
1. Stoned Part One: this cut establishes
the warm 'psychedelic soul' vibe associated with the whole set. 'Girl, you made
me come........(to realize)!' A distant cousin to 'Lucky' perhaps, but one which
also brings to mind the merest tad of Lenny Kravitz mixed with a soupcon of Sly
Stone, possibly. Whatever other references are in there, suffice it to say that
Stoned Part One is pure Lewis Taylor - from the dirty wah wah guitar on the
intro and solo through to the closing refrain in that spine-tingling
voice.
2. Positively Beautiful: a very catchy,
sorta 'Pappa Was a Rolling Stone' for the 21st century, with a great hook and
feel. Very clubby, giving - a la the title cut from Lewis II - more than a nod
to Norman Whitfield's classic Motown arrangements with the Temps and others. One
the re-mixers will have fun with too!
3. Lewis IV: perhaps the killer track
amongst killer tracks of the whole set. 'You break your promises, don't make me
stick to mine...'. Shades of 'Damn', 'Song' and 'Track' merged into one,
complete with an anthemic climax which quite simply can't be topped. This might
prove to be the big closing number, in a live setting.
4. Send Me An Angel: a fairly
straight-ahead but very classy, polished, mid-paced groover that will achieve
plenty of airplay on R&B and soul radio. A personal favourite in the whole
set. If nothing else it demonstrates that Lewis has one of the most evocative
and actually very commercial voices this side of the Atlantic - and on much of
the far side too, for that matter.
5. Till The Morning Light: some
faux-sitar opens up this catchy, hippy-dippy-drenched pop tune. And none
the worse for it, it has to be said. Identifying this cut for mainstream,
cross-over airplay wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.
6. Shame: another melodic, poppy,
trippy tune which sums up the Lewis Taylor catholic approach to
music-making. Shame moves seamlessly through trippy, psychedelic beginnings to
its rocky, guitar-driven, near-thrash chorus, with a Beatlesque middle section.
Gonna be a big live number this one, with its growling guitars in the
fore.
7. When Will I Ever Learn (part 1): a
slow, sparsely-arranged, beautiful, haunting lament - complete with heart-felt
lyrics, exquisite harmonies and THAT voice. Radio-friendly, this. As with 'Send
Me An Angel' this is one of a number of cuts that R&B and the neo soul
audience will embrace.
8. Loving You More: some more
straight-ahead R&B with punchy rhythm guitars and - as with every other
track on this set - a strong tune and great vocal.
9. From The Day We Met (a.k.a. When Will
I Ever Learn - part 2): an alternative version, this one is a mid-tempo groover
raunched up with some distinctly R&B-drenched vocal chops and swing beat,
but with some uniquely Lewis twists and turns. Works well as the album gets into
its soul city middle section.
10. Lovelight: Kraftwerk meets Eno-era
Bowie provides the aural backdrop to an otherwise fairly straight-ahead, nicely
paced, soul/blues lament about a difficult love affair (what else? you ask).
Another strong tune sprinkled with some of the magic Lewis
colourings.
11. Sheneverdid: one for the hard-core
to embrace. Starting with its electronic heartbeat to signal a typically
bleak Lewis aural landscape - complete with backward guitars and disembodied
vocals - it quickly moves to a very accessible, melodic tune which could fast
become a Lewis classic... one which would not find itself totally out of place
on the debut record.
In conclusion, this is probably the
album that Lewis has needed to make. There is enough musicality to satisfy the
most hard-core Lewis-heads but more than that, the set offers sufficient
accessibility to embrace the wider populace that LT's talents deserve. There are
plenty of soul and R&B sensibilities in there but hopefully also enough
indie pop and guitar-led rock influences to secure wider audience
appeal.
Of course, great product is
dependent upon great marketing and that may yet be the key to final sales
figures. Personally I think this record plays well to European and US audiences;
let's hope the October UK release provides the platform for wider exposure and
recognition.
To me, this is a very satisfying set
which smacks of an exceptional artist finding the signposts to channel his
considerable talents into the mainstream, but without compromising artistic
integrity. Let's hope the mainstream gets to hear it and feels the same
way!
Lewis Out and
About:
Lewis is hoping to get down to the Soul
24-7 studios for a live show with the WTW team to preview the new album. At
time of going to press, this was provisionally scheduled for October 5, 8:30 pm
UK time. Certainly some tracks will be previewed by the station (http://www.soul24-7.com/) from this Saturday
- September 7th, 8-10 pm UK time - onwards.
Editor's note: the Soul 24-7 server
was down at show time on September 7th, but the show was recorded and will be
re-broadcast in the near future.
Still to be confirmed: likely
some London gigs and media work around the time of the album launch. Watch
this space for further news; we'll keep you posted as to confirmed dates and
details.
Lewis-Lovers'
Links
http://www.lewistaylormusic.com/ -
Fansite with hugely popular forums... this is the place for Lewis fans to hang
out online, and Lewis himself contributes from time to time. Lots of
information, mp3s and pictures here. There's even a forum specifically for
questions to and answers from Lewis, whenever he is able and/or has inclination
to answer.
Editor's note: forums experiencing
temporary difficulties on this publication date but will be up and running again
a.s.a.p!
http://fanclub.lewistaylormusic.com/
- Lewis Taylor's Fan Collection. a site for and about Lewis fans. Show your love
of and support for Lewis' music by going visible online with all the other fans
there - or just have some fun checking out who else loves Lewis'
sounds.
http://www.soul24-7.com/ - The hugely
popular internet radio station with a soul forum to post messages at. Hear Lewis
music played regularly by the What's The Word team on their show, or try
requesting a Lewis tune by emailing direct to any DJ on-air at studio@soul24-7.com. The more requests
received and forum posts made about Lewis, we believe, the more likely the
station will get behind The Man and his new album!
Contact Positively
Beautiful:
We're sure you're all as excited as we
are about the new album coming out and all the recent activity involving Lewis
and his music. We'll keep you posted as we get more news.
Until our next issue - take care, keep
the Lewis faith, and spread the Lewis word! The Legend is back!
Positively
Beautiful
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Positively Beautiful - Lewis
Taylor News
Issue One: Stoned
Reality
Addendum - Updated
Information
What Now?!
This is a bit unusual,
Lewis fans - won't happen all the time! - but we thought it important to get
this updated information out to you.
What's The Word - September 7th
Show - Broadcast Dates/Times
In the original mailing of this
issue, we stated that the missed September 7th What's The Word radio show had
been recorded and was to be broadcast in the near future. We've just gotten
information, so here you go - log on to http://www.soul24-7.com/ and catch two
cuts from Lewis' new album on either of these broadcasts, along with
the other fantastic music that Chris and Mark always play for us:
Tonight - Septermber 9/10 - from 1 am to
3 am GMT
and/or
Friday, September 13 - from 5 am to 7 am
GMT.
Forums Are Once Again Available
at lewistaylormusic.com
Many of you love visiting at the forums
(we know who you are!), so we thought it important to also let you know that
webmaster Hadena has been able to get the forums back online. You can access the
forums directly with this URL: http://www.lewistaylormusic.com/forum/index.php.
Happy posting!