Taylor James
Insane
(Hearts of Gold Recordings)

Taylor James from West Central Mississippi presents his latest, Insane. The singer/songwriter/producer/composer/multi-instrumentalist lists Motown, Quincy Jones, and James Brown as influences and serves up a tight mix of ten tracks tickling R&B, Hip-Hop, and even Gospel on tunes about that one universal human need, love.

“Back 2 U” opens, a mid-tempo tune with a repetitive tag line sweeping under the beat, and soft guitar flicking, while the title track has a jumpy synth, and with its handclaps and drums keeps your toes tapping.

Things get more interesting though the deeper you get into Insane. I really dig the 70s flick-a-guitar, and electric piano washes of “Let’s Go Steppin,” for me one of the best on the album. It’s got a nice big fat bass with James predicting that he and his lady are going to have lots of fun in this sly sexy dance tune. Once again, one notices the expert mix of vocals.

“This Time,” is a sweet ballad about how wonderful love is. The guitar (ever prominent on Insane) slips and slides round the beat and a mix of James’ singing and talking. This might be the best vocal production of all the songs on the album.

“Only When You Need Me” ends with a high-tone snapping drum machine beat and plink-y single note keys, a real 80s-like dance tune. James even sounds slightly different vocally here, singing among the “plips” about wondering where his lady is.

You could easily go insane for Taylor James’ cool little gems-of-tunes, masterful singing, and tight danceable production on his new album, Insane.