Taylor Hollingsworth
(Team Love Records)
If Life With A Slow Ear doesn't win some kind of award for being among strangest LPs of the current year, then it certainly deserves at least an honorable mention. That's not to say its ragged, homespun ruminations offer anything out of the ordinary; at least in today's rustic roots rock environs. And given Taylor Hollingsworth's recent resume, which includes time spent time in the service of Conor Oberst's Mystic Valley Band, this down-home discourse isn't at all unexpected.
However, the thing that does catch the listener off guard is what would otherwise be one of his main selling points - specifically, his vocals, a high-whining cartoon-like wail, or, at best, an ill attempted take on hillbilly reality. Suffice it to say, any attempt at taking his songs seriously is thwarted whenever he takes the microphone. While there may be some synergy between his chipmunk chatter and the plunk and twang of tracks like "I Didn't Know It Was the Devil" and "Westfalia," anytime the mood turns taut - as is the case with "96 Crayons" and the blustery boogie of "New Orleans Blues" - Hollingsworth's vocal makes the songs actually sound silly.
Even when attempting to give some weight to "Sin City Blues" - which references both Gram Parsons and Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile With Those Memphis Blues Again" - Hollingsworth's voice betrays him and moots his efforts. So while Life with A Slow Ear might otherwise have ranked an admirable effort, it's that voice that the ear hears that scuttles its success.
Standout Tracks: "Sin City Blues," "Westfalia" LEE ZIMMERMAN
