It is always with a sense of anticipation that I wait for each new release by Otis Taylor. It is not just that he is one of the best bluesmen working today, but that each of his albums has a theme and individual presence all its own. 2013\u2019s My World Is Gone <\/i>incorporated Native American rhythms into a blues framework as he explored the plight of America\u2019s original people. 2015\u2019s Hey Joe Opus\/Red Meat <\/i>found him fusing a West Coast psychedelic sound with his well-honed blues. Now, he has changed direction again.<\/p>\n
Fantasizing About Being Black <\/i>is an 11-chapter history lesson of the Afro-American experience. The message is stark and direct, while the music ranges from primitive to sophisticated. He uses violinist Anne Harris to soften the harshness of his approach. Through it all, he remains true to a blues framework and format.<\/p>\n
Each song message sets the stage for the one to follow until they meld into a cohesive whole.\u00a0 \u201cBanjo Bam Bam\u201d is a primitive story of slavery. \u201cD To E Blues\u201d is an ode to a father-son relationship played in the Chicago blues style. \u201cJump Out Of Line\u201d is a look back at the Civil Rights Movement. \u201cJump To Mexico\u201d explores the difficulties of interracial relationships. \u201cRoll On Down The Hill\u201d is an inspirational call to resist. <\/p>\n
Taylor\u2019s playing, both electric and acoustic guitar plus his banjo, gives the music a basic foundation. He tries to remain true to the era with his own instrumental contributions while building modern day connections around them.<\/p>\n
Fantasizing About Being Black <\/i>may not be an easy listen, but it is heartfelt and passionate. It is also an important contribution to Afro-American history from a musical perspective, and that fact makes all the difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":33053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[8781],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-44837","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-otis-taylor","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/44837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=44837"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=44837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}