Overlook by Maria Taylor

On New Years Eve of 2010 in a Latin themed bar in downtown Birmingham, Alabama (Taylor’s hometown), I stumbled through a noisy crowd while trying my hardest to enjoy another passing year. I picked this place because I knew that Kate Taylor, Maria’s sister, would be playing, and I appreciate local artists. However, as I was standing in the ever-expanding line for the ladies bathroom, I was surprised to find Maria Taylor standing in line behind me, and the only thing that I could think to do was awkwardly introduce myself, compliment her work, and then silently turn back around in line. Little did I know that she was working on her new record at the time and had moved back to Birmingham. Like that cold Alabama night, Overlook is slow, and you can feel every bit of it.

The pulsing, emotional sounds of the first track, “Masterplan,” put the album into play, posing questions of fidelity: “Can you take them back, and can you live with that?” Almost immediately, listeners are in for an emotional ride. The next track, “Matador,” gives a glimpse of the edgy, strong, female vocals associated with Taylor’s mid-90s band Little Red Rocket— it is stressful garage-rock and is followed by a morose tune called “Happenstance” that references a cold Alabama night and dreams of the West Coast. In “Happenstance,” Taylor sings, “I don’t unpack my bags anymore,” so perhaps she won’t stay in Birmingham for much longer. The biggest surprise for me on Overlook is a jazzy Southern number titled “Bad Idea?” that immediately reminds me of Nora Jones. “Bad Idea” is refreshing and light, and Taylor even throws in a bit of breezy advice, singing, “Keep your lovin’ light and the door in sight.” The truth is that the last four tracks are really what we’ve come to expect from Maria Taylor: pleasant and somber. Though there’s nothing new to report about the style of these tracks, this is precisely the consistency fans love about Taylor. Finally, I was most satisfied with the closing song titled “Along for the Ride.” It is breathy and reminiscent of her work with the duo, Azure Ray. In the end, I really only wanted to replay the first half of this album because it was so much stronger and diverse than the rest.

You may be wondering, “Is Overlook an album I desperately need?” Though the styles shift from song to song, I can confidently answer you this: If you have ever questioned the validity of love, or if you just need to hear something melancholy and beautiful than this album is for you.