Trains, Rivers & Trails
Horton, 2022
8/10
Listen to Trains, Rivers & Trails
On this 3rd solo album, the singer and guitarist Monica Taylor finds herself alongside many musicians for a mix of originals and covers in a folk, blues, Americana, roots and honky tonk hybrid.
“The Sound Of A Train” leads the listen with Taylor’s inviting and smooth singing alongside emotive strings, light drums and mesmerizing guitar, and “Gentle On My Mind” follows with a timeless folk spirit that embraces elegant fiddle and playful bass lines.
Elsewhere, “Down In Louisiana” picks up the pace with a toe tappin’, head bobbin’ country appeal that will get your body moving, while “Minor Key” showcases John Fullbright and Jared Tyler’s expressive pipes on the Woody Guthrie and Billy Bragg classic.
Very close to the end, “Train Take Me Away” makes great use of Taylor’s very articulate singing amid the fiddle acrobatics and crisp drums, and “Ocoee Love Song” exits the listen with much intimacy in the bare, stirring Civil War love song.
A batch of songs that seem tailor made for a train ride, a walk through the mountains or a trip down a river, Taylor and company bring us on a creative and rich journey that’s authentic and relatable.
Travels well with: Stacy Antonel- Always The Outsider; Jess Jocoy- Such A Long Way