Maria Taylor : Lynn Teeter Flower

<a href="Reviews/Album_Reviews/Maria_Taylor_%3A_Lynn_Teeter_Flower/"><img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/mariataylor.jpg" alt=" " /></a> As an indespensible member of the Saddle Creek family, Maria Taylor's reach extends from Azure Ray to Now It's Overhead to her solo...
7.7 Saddle Creek
2007 

 As an indespensible member of the Saddle Creek family, Maria Taylor’s reach extends from Azure Ray to Now It’s Overhead to her solo career and this, her second album.  With a velvety, alternative drawl and passive/aggressive harmonies, Taylor’s music has a veiled magnetism like an old farmhouse.   Lynn Teeter Flower covers more ground than her debut, as a showcase of a wide range of acoustic-based songs.   Semi-pop ballads, melancholy elegies, and even quick hip-hop find their way onto the charming album. 

Starting off the album is the all-too-literal "A Good Start", a wavy, Top 100 tune with a smoothly crashing refrain.  A few downtempo tracks follow until "Replay", a soft Spoon-like organ bouncer.  Throughout, there’s a uneffected honesty in Taylor’s vocal strains that allows her to stay slow without sacrificing integrity.  "Irish Goodbye" is the most elaborate track on the album,  featuring a quick electronic beat and hazy acoustica.  "The Ballad of Sean Foley" is a cozy chug with a clever narrative.  While keeping Lynn Teeter Flower subdued under a warm blanket, Taylor still shows off her vocal prowess and smart sense of acoustic flow.

Bolstering the hearty acoustic sounds that Saddle Creek has become known for, Taylor once again does the label much justice. Lynn Teeter Flower has many catchy, thoughtful moments and shows of a slick diversity of sounds without becoming erratic.  Another fine example of the multi-tasking talents being pumped out of Omaha.

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