Out tomorrow (May 21st) is the new album from Memphis multi-instrumentalist Paul Taylor, under his New Memphis Colorways guise, called It Is What It Isn’t. Ahead of its release we’re delighted to be able to premiere the album in full right here on Backseat Mafia today.
Taylor has spent the majority of his career as a sideman (on bass, guitar and drums) to a range of musical glitterati, including Eric Gales, Shawn Lane, Ann Peebles, Kirk Whalum, Amy LaVere, Chuck Prophet, Robert Ellis, and Jimbo Mathus, among others. In between that, he’s fulled together an avant funk-jazz record that will have you struttin along to the g-funk, head nodding to the modern funk jazz, and shivering/quivering at the icy melancholy and loved up soulful moments included on the record.
Of it, Paul told us “This record, which is an adventurous funk-almost-jazz record (a total departure from my normal songwriting fare) was created in a time of extreme unrest and uncertainty globally on many levels. Much as the blues is often a joyful respite from bad times, the joy of making this funky little record was my escape — and now that it seems the world (at least in part) is sort of resuming normalcy, my hope is that it will find its way to car stereos on fun summer drives and boomboxes at outdoor cookouts, and can be the soundtrack of fun hangs with reunited friends.”
Sit back, and enjoy, people. This records about to become you’re Summer jam.
