Local Music Tap: Taylor Robert's EP Review

Let me first say this: I don't consider myself someone who is great at reviewing albums or that I am necessarily a person who will be overly critical in my attempts at reviews. I leave the ultimate judgment up to the listeners.

But what I will do is give you folks a bit of an introduction to the artist and a taste of his or her recent collection of music.

That being said … let us continue!

A little backstory: Taylor Robert is a Minnesota born man who grew up singing in the church choir and eventually joined the St. Olaf College choir, which is not an easy feat. I've seen them in my high school choir days (Anoka Concert Choir represent!) and they are very, very good.

Somewhere along the line, Robert decided that singing along with a guitar impresses the girls more so than singing Pavarotti, so he began writing acoustic music while becoming "obsessed" with blues, soul and rock.

Now, Robert regularly performs at the Dakota Jazz Club and is considered a fixture in the Minneapolis soul scene.

His new six-song EP, called "The Taylor Robert EP," showcases most of these aforementioned points: Blues, soul, rock, his obvious smooth singing talents and, for good measure, a bit of country.

On of the songs, "Sound of Your Voice," written for his now fiancé, features comfortable pop soul lyrics (A love so true, because it's with you ...) and melodies made for a laid back occasion. "Memories" has similar attributes.

Other songs, like "Stand By Love"" and "Bacon," mix his soulful voice with some country elements, like steel slide guitars and the like.

"I've always loved country and rhythm & blues music - dating back to what Elvis did. I'm not sure if I'm necessarily a 'country' artist or if I'm just a soul musician who loves country," Robert said in a recent interview. "Whatever it is, I am finally connecting to the music I am singing. It finally feels like me."

See for yourself and give it a listen!

Interesting tid bit: Prince's drummer, Michael Bland, is Robert's friend and contributed his trap-set skills to the album.

You can stream the album on SoundCloud here.

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Local Music Tap is a new blog aimed at promoting Minnesota-based musicians, bands and shows. If you have music blog ideas, please email cepremo@wcco.com or leave a comment below. Also, follow the Local Music Tap on Twitter and on YouTube.