Joanne Shaw Taylor
Diamonds in the Dirt
Ruf Records
When Joanne Shaw
Taylor made her debut
in early 2009 with
White
Sugar, fans of gutsy
blues guitar sat up and
took notice of the young
British gal who could
tear up her Tele as well as any lad her age. With her
second album,
Diamonds in the Dirt, Taylor brings
a new authority to her playing, songwriting, and
smoky vocals. In this set of 10 originals, the 24-yearold
bares her soul by contrasting confessional lyrics
with snarling solos. Though Taylor is categorized as a
blues musician (she won the Best New Artist Debut
at the 2010 Blues Music Awards), the grooves and
riffs she weaves into her songs owe more to early
Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, and Free than classic Chess
or Cobra sides. If you enjoy the rough-and-ready
sounds of Rory Gallagher, you’ll dig the rockin’ vibe
Taylor brings to her blues.