Josh Taerk - Stages EP (Album Review)
Toronto native Josh Taerk (pronounced Turk) is a new name to me but, with heavy-hitting support on his bio from E-Street Band drummer Max Weinberg and John Oates of Hall & Oates fame, my guess was his new ‘Stages’ EP would be well worth checking out. I’m pleased to report this assumption would prove to be correct as ‘Stages’ is a little gem.
The Taerk story actually goes right back to 2010 and includes two previous album releases ‘Josh’ and 2015’s ‘Here’s To Change’ which was recorded in Nashville with a host of quality players and John Oates adding backing vocals. I’m quite surprised that Josh is a new name to me as he’s toured regularly here in the UK. I’m not sure how I missed that, too much music and too little time I guess.
The first thing you notice about Josh Tuerk circa 2017 is the positivity of his lyrics. Opener ‘Learning to Let Go’ looks at how life experiences shape the people we become “Are we living life to live it, or casting judgements from the side lines” is something to which we should all be able to relate. The positivity of the lyric is enhanced by an uplifting chorus and some nicely played slide guitar. ‘Learning to Let Go’ is a co-write with producer / guitarist Teddy Morgan (Kevin Costner & Modern West). ‘Anywhere That Love Took Us’ is next up and comparisons to Modern West are valid. If you like your country rock to be relaxed, tuneful and well played (nice guitar licks here) this should work well. Teddy Morgan has put together a terrific band here with Modern West alumni Park Chisolm (bass) and Richard Medek (drums) alongside Jon Coleman on keys with top session drummer Greg Morrow (Blake Shelton / Luke Bryan) adding his skills to two tracks.
Gentle acoustic guitar ushers in ‘After the Fall’ and we shift gears into big epic balladry, complete with orchestral backing. ‘After The Fall’ originally appeared on Josh’s ‘Here’s To Change’ album so it seems a little odd that it makes another, admittedly very welcome, appearance here. Am I missing something?
The reflective lilt of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ features fine interplay between guitar and organ, with the highlight a really nicely rising guitar solo, the lyric again looks at the life choices we make which is very much a theme of ‘Stages’. The closing track ‘Neverland’ benefits from gentle tremolo guitar parts and brings ‘Stages’ to an early end that leaves you wanting more. Throughout the EP it’s apparent that Josh Taerk knows his way around a song and exhibits a real knack with a hook. He seems equally comfortable with a foot in both pop and country camps and the merging of genres seems very natural to him.
Josh returns to the UK in early 2018 with a show lined up in London at the Academy Islington on January 13th which should be well worth checking out.
A decade and a half ago, Tom Baxter, was riding the wave of an acoustic singer-songwriter renaissance, championed by the New Acoustic Movement and Roadworks tours, which played a part in the successes of Tom McRae, Ben & Jason, Polly Paulusma and KT Tunstall. Like Tunstall, Baxter landed a major label deal but Columbia didn’t invest in him as a long-term prospect (Tunstall was, conversely, carefully developed by Relentless). Baxter was dropped after his debut Feather & Stone failed to cut the commercial mustard; a criminal state of affairs, given that the album was an incredible, hit-riddled record, dripping with giant string arrangements and emotional energy. The independently recorded yet equally strong Skybound followed in 2007 and spawned the single ‘Better’, a cover of which - for better or worse depending on your view - was a big hit for Boyzone a year later. Fast forward to 2018 and Tom Baxter - having been married, divorced and married again in that time - is back with The Other Side of Blue, a record that is devoid of all the whistle-and-bellery that adorned his first two outings. Every song features just a solo vocal with only guitar or piano for company. Brave? Foolish? Let’s find out…