Country Funkin' Soul "Willie Nelson crashed into Prince and Tom Petty saw the whole thing".

14 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Country Rock, URBAN/R&B: Funk



Details:
Jefrey Taylor
Singer/songwriter/pop-rock artist
602-999-8816
jefreytaylor@yahoo.com

Artistâs Bio

âItâs like Willie Nelson crashed into Prince and Tom Petty saw the whole thing,â muses Jefrey Taylor about his unique mix of country, funk and soul. He calls it CountryFunk, and his first CD, Southern Soul, has just been released. Taylor is a charismatic mix of pedigree (Berklee College of Music), ability (multi-instrumentalist, writer-composer), and unabashed flair. On stage, thereâs no trace of self consciousness, just something pure and alive, and itâs what makes his performances so electric. âWhen Iâm performing, Iâm the rainmaker. I throw it out to the audience and it comes rushing back tenfold. Itâs an agreement; they trust where Iâm taking them. But that agreement is fragile, youâve got to work for it every moment.â

Although immersed in music from childhood, and working as a musician/singer, Taylor hesitated to do his own recording until life gave him a painful push. âMy mom was very proud of my talent, but she wanted me to dig in, get my own music out there. She thought I was getting by on charm.â When his mother passed suddenly in an accident, Taylor traded in his comfortable life to finally get serious about his music.

Recording Southern Soul was challenging, but the journey turned out to be exactly what Taylor needed. âIt burned away anything that wasnât true. Listen, everything is hard about this dream,â he says, âespecially the part when you realize itâs up to you alone. But you get down to whatâs essential. That, and a slug of Jack Daniels.â Taylor already has new songs and projects in the works, but is prepared to follow wherever the music takes him.
âThe only thing Iâm afraid of,â he pauses, âis the whiskey will run dry.â But after a breath he offers it up, âFor the longest time I was afraid no one would be interested. Thatâs a lack of belief. I got over it.â Now Taylor says his only fear is not living up to his own expectations. But itâs a good fear, he says, itâs the one that keeps you moving.

Jefrey Taylor
Singer/songwriter/pop artist
602-999-8816
jefreytaylor@yahoo.com
The Story of Southern Soul
âEverything thatâs created needs attention. Songs need to be heard, they need to go out in the world and live a little. They need to mean something to someone here and there.â Jefrey Taylor is talking about his recently completed inaugural CD, Southern Soul. The disc is dedicated to Taylorâs mother, whose sudden death deepened his commitment to music. To get clear about what Southern Soul would be, Taylor headed to Spain and the famed Camino de Santiago, a 562 mile pilgrimage. âI needed to get to the bottom of me. I was havinâ an honesty problem. Take a little 35-day walk with yourself and you have no choice but to get past your own bullshit. After that, the songs came quickly.â Taylor pauses for a moment, âThis is sounding all dark night of the soul. I guess it was, but the music that came out of it is bright and spirited and funky.â
It is. Southern Soul offers a lively mix of moods and colors: lots of dance floor funk with some tender moments and Taylorâs unique brand of quirk. His instrumentation is wonderfully playful with organ, mandolin, banjo, dobro and congaâs. There is story telling and truth telling, and the laying bare of emotion. The disc flows effortlessly as we get to know Taylor and his uncommon blend of influence and originality. It all falls into what he describes as CountryFunk.
The disc features Dan Tomlinson of Lyle Lovettâs Band and Roscoe Beck of The Dixie Chicks, with Taylor writing all the songs and playing the majority of instruments. What do you want from the listener, I ask him. âCash,â he says, âcold hard cash,â but his self amusement turns into sincerity, âLook, I write songs, I play music, I entertain because I have a passion for doing so. Rumor is, I also have talent. So passion meets talent âwhat else am I gonna do? It seems pretty clear this is the road. But itâs work. Iâm working my ass off to provide a good reason for everybody to come to my party.â
Southern Soul is the fruit of Taylorâs labor. His vision has taken form. And to him, that is the most important thing. âYou fight, you fail, you succeed âitâs okay. The experiences of life, are they flowers or weeds, itâs all just what we call it.â