Advertisement

Album reviews Music

>>> Gloria Ann Taylor

West Virginia-born soul singer Gloria Ann Taylor walked away from a music career after releasing eight singles in the 70s on an indie label started by her producer husband, including the three-track Deep Inside Of You, a record that developed a life of its own among collectors with serious money to blow on the reseller/bootleg market.

Meanwhile, pop fans may recognize her from the U.S. Girls’ song Window Shades, which samples the disco version of the title track. It’s an appropriate sample for a few reasons, but chiefly because Taylor – like U.S. Girls – is an artist who made connections between different genres, in this case psychedelia, soul and early disco. At times Taylor’s sound is heavily atmospheric, and as experimental as her voice is direct and emotional.

This comp is remastered off vinyl – the master tapes were lost when Taylor’s car was towed – so there’s a dusty, out-of-time quality to its repeating riffs and motifs. Reading the liner notes about the frustrations and failures she encountered while grinding away in the music business makes the striving and sadness in many of the songs all the more poignant.

Top track: How Can You Say It

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted