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Reviews & QuotesHaving made a vertiginous start to his career, released two albums in his twenties and garnered fans and plaudits in abundance Taylor bravely elected to slow down and hone his craft as a session musician, the list of those with whom he has sessioned is an intriguingly eclectic one. Seemingly satisfied the apprenticeship is complete Taylor is back with his own three piece and a delightful third album. Of the trio, Taylor provides vocals and guitars, Jonny Dyke keys and Pete Radcliff percussion. In unison their work is warm, rich and probing, as well as several self-penned numbers also contained hereon are versions of Dylan, Sheryl Crow, The Allman Brothers and Jose Gonzales songs. Confident enough to test themselves but wise enough not to over complicate, No Trouble At All branches off in many interesting, unexpected directions but wherever they go - whether to explore the extended guitar solo, the unashamed love song or an epic blues-rock lament - The Matt Taylor band retains their own very clear identity. It's a rare achievement and given the appealing nature of that identity - at once unflashy and sophisticated - a noble one. Jonathan Blacksfaffe The late great Long John Baldry described Matt Taylor as possibly the best guitarist with whom he'd shared a stage - and this from a man who worked with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. Whatever the veracity of Baldry's claim it certainly makes for an impressive reference and one Taylor certainly does his damndest to fulfil for much of No Trouble At All. This is a collection for people who like their blues polished rather than down and dirty, who prefer it shot through with pop sensibility rather than on the rocks. There are some fine songs here, not least the slyly funky Get Outta My Way, Let Your Hair Down (with a California chorus The Eagles would love to write these days) and So Far From Home, the latter featuring a solid vocal from Hayley Sanderson. David Burke "No Trouble At All" is the brand new release from the Matt Taylor Band that is fuelled by seven original contemporary blues tracks and some very innovative covers of classic material! Matt Taylor delivers vocals and guitars whilst Jonny Dyke plays the keys and Pete Radcliff the drums and they are joined by Hayley Sanderson and Mick Wilson on backing vocals! "No Trouble At All" has all the hallmarks of a band at its creative best with each member feeding off the other trading licks and crafting some unforgettable songs! 'I Found A Love' sets the pattern for the whole album with a love story ending in a guitar solo that fades way too soon and 'Get Outta My Way' continues along the same vein before giving way to the beautiful ballad 'Let Your Hair Down' that echoes the Eagles in their prime! 'You Are The Only One' is another well crafted love song that precedes a retro rework of Bob Dylan's 'To Be Alone With You' that has you swinging those hips before a tale of escapism has you boogieing down 'The Open Road'! Hayley Sanderson steps forward to lend her country girl vocals to 'So Far From Home' whilst classic covers of Sheryl Crow's 'Everyday Is A Winding Road' and Greg Allman's 'It's Not My Cross To Bear' prove worthy interpretations! Another Matt Taylor original 'Snakes' has a certain Santana feel about it leading to a haunting rendition of the Jose Gonzalez song 'Lovestain' that simply blows you away! The title track 'No Trouble At All' completes this fine set before 3 (radio edits) 'You Are The Only One', 'The Open Road' & 'Everyday Is A Winding Road' wind things up! "No Trouble At All" from the Matt Taylor Band is unpredictable and laden with gems that you will no doubt hear for a long time to come! BluesConnections.com
The British blues movement is thriving - and one or two of the seven self-penned tracks here suggest that Matt Taylor should be at the forefront. Matt is a quick, fluid guitarist with a strong Paul Weller-like voice. Get Outta My Way and You Are The Only One - with a killer chorus that could have been lifted straight off Fleetwood Macs Rumours - are outstanding. Martin Townsend
Matt Taylor’s sonic armoury takes in guitar, bass, mandolin, ukulele, lapsteel and percussion and doubtless this all affects his compositional efforts and range. Jonny Dyke contributes all manner of keyboards, drums and percussion are in the hands of Pete Radcliff. Recorded all over the place, it’s perhaps the roadwork that determines the band feel. Taylor’s mid-range voice is well-recorded and sounds strong over the busy lines, the band’s sound not being far from Matt Schofield’s ensemble. I don’t know who Matt’s influences include but gladly there’s no obvious single source. My guess would be Robben Ford and as the latter’s best work is impassioned to say the least, how bad can that be ? The mellow and easy-paced ballad Let Your Hair Down adds a James Taylor touch and a beautiful warmth – I always hope that an album’s slow tracks won’t go the Gary Moore overkill facepulling route. (But they do, too often!) The Dylan number To Be Alone With You runs very close to Alvin Lee with its delivery and vocal delay setting ; the latin sleaze cruise of Snakes is easily the set’s best and most original moment and offsets the album’s more traditional/mainstream passages. Fine piano figures here and a curiously addictive twisting chorus. Bravery has its own rewards, boys… Lovestain is another winning original [sic], its unhurried slide runs making it atmospheric and a ‘play again’ track. So, always competent and pretty often startlingly original, thumbs up from us.
"Hmmm, very nice work! No Trouble At All is Matt Taylor Band's second [sic - third] album, the difficult one - the one everybody criticises. Well not me! 'No Trouble At All' is a little cracker!" "Matt Taylor Band don't do the blues for the blues' sake - Matt Taylor Band are more subtle than that - Matt Taylor Band err on the side of chilled, rockin', funked-up blues - blues with modernity - blues with a soul - blues with a clean face and well heeled boots. No Trouble At All is gentle contemporary blues - mature, considered and well crafted, No Trouble At All is a real worker - this baby grabs you when you're not expecting it, it pulls you in carefully and quietly. And, once in you won't wanna leave - this is really cool stuff!" "There's a decent mixture of Matt Taylor originals and a few interesting and possibly unexpected covers here - and with that mixture there's a whole load of vibes comin' off the player - this is a classy album, an album of distinction, an album to enjoy in its entirety just for exactly what it is - a piece of gritty modern music with real heart and soul! Matt Taylor Band are just a three-piece but sound bigger - comprising Matt Taylor (vocals, guitars, bass, mandolin, ukulele, lapsteel, percussion and programming), Jonny Dyke (piano, hammond, Wurlitzer and synth bass) and Pete Radcliff (drums, percussion and technology), the trio work supremely well together to give off a sound that's polished, refined and very wholesome feeling. The keys take almost as much limelight as the guitars here - the combination is excellent, the mix brilliant and the end result superb. It makes a pleasant change for the 'name' of the band not to completely swamp the fellow members with guitar histrionics and solos. Taylor uses his privileged position to heighten rather than lead - he plays with control and respect for his fellow players - the result is stunning and refreshing." "No Trouble At All by Matt Taylor Band is a real gem - a beautifully crafted album that straddles and blurs genre but keeps one eye firmly on contemporary blues. An album that will quite obviously appeal to lovers of all thing blue but will also appeal to just about anyone who loves or appreciates good music. A little beaut!"
"On their first ever visit to Bluesnights Matt Taylor (guitar/vocals), Mark Smith (bass) [in the absence of Jonny Dyke] and Pete Radcliffe (drums) turned on a very tight and varied show. There was something for everyone in this performance." "The second set went up a couple of notches as far as energy goes. Kicking off with Talk To Your Daughter this was very very good and featured a superb solo. Big Maceo Merriweather’s Worried Life Blues was a lovely slow rendition, oozing plenty of emotion and well executed runs. Here is where it got extremely interesting, because sequentially they played Paul Simon’s Late In The Evening - very energetic and rhythmically African - then The Beatles’ Come Together. This was a cracker - very solid and that they followed with a tribute to the late James Brown, an instrumental of great funky soul. This trio of non-blues tunes showcased the band’s versatility – and the audience reaction showed that excellent musicianship is always popular, whatever its genre." "The end of the set was one of Matt’s own – the title track from one of Matt’s albums, Radio City Blues. This was loud and wild, flowing chord changes and became an outright tour de force! We hauled them back for an encore which was Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee’s Walk On a nice easy going blues, and a fitting way to end what had been an excellent show. A great evening." Blues in Britain Magazine
It was the first time in Maryport for these young men and a very warm reception they got. They’re a three piece with Matt Taylor on guitar and vocals, Jonny Dyke on keyboards and backing vocals and Pete Radcliff on drums. No bass guitar but the basslines are played by Jonny’s left hand, nothing unusual there, but when he plays a solo Matt stomps on a button and his strat plays the bass. They work it seamlessly between them and the change is almost indistinguishable. Two Strong Arms, a slow and bluesy tune from their [first album] had Matt with his head back, eyes shut, playing with utmost passion. BB King’s Rock Me Baby was a boogier with a keyboard solo from Jonny before Matt’s axe let rip again. The Weight by The Band was gorgeous, with Jonny on the harmonies. Lovestain by Jose Gonzales featured some great slide work on a telecaster while Fat Tuesday’s Blue [from Mad With The World] was a throbbing powerful tune with an equally matching guitar solo. A Robben Ford number Supernatural had loads of wah-wah pedal action and another massive solo which then segued into Come Together Ike & Tina Turner style. The brief solo in that was superb but was made up for in length by an extended outro and got a huge ovatio from the crowd. Cold Sweat a James Brown instrumental and Radio City Blues from their first CD back in ‘95 rattled along and ended their set. The crowd clamoured for more and we were rewarded with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee’s classic Walk On. It was played up tempo a bit and had folks dancing, the bass line a’ boom boom booming. There was a great keyboard piece from Jonny and the whole house was singing along. A pleasure! Review by: Steve Bouckley.
"We do need people who can concoct their own brews from traditional ingredients". Blues Matters (UK)
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