In his new EP, Dance With You, Lexington, Kentucky-based artist Taylor Lansdale continues to evoke the poignance of everyday life and love he captured on his last album, Headlong. Inspired by modern Americana artists like Jason Isbell, Lansdale's music brings a similar down-to-earth approach to the everyday twists and turns of relationships.
Stripping things back, the title track, "Dance With You," features soft, simple grooves and arrangements guided by endearing steel guitar melodies. After the gentle opening, Lansdale evokes a sense of earnest romance, singing "Honey, I could have it all wrong / Now they've started playing our song." Easily the most romantic song on this new release, his vocals bring a realistic intimacy to the songwriting, making for an inviting and compelling opener.
Next on the EP, "Daffodils & Sleeping Pills" transfers the listener to a more unexpected kind of love.
The difference is immediately clear with electric guitars that return to some of the southern rock influence Lansdale displayed on his previous album. By comparison to the title track, the lyrics seem to harness a darker shade. With lines such as "Mom's strung out and daddy shouts / She found a place to stay," themes of abuse and broken relationships color the song with a more somber tone. Here, love is found through suffering rather than the innocent attraction found in the opener.
At the end of the EP Lansdale turns toward lost love.
The starkest of the trio, "Get On With It,' needs only an acoustic guitar and Lansdale's voice to get its sorrowful message across. Especially impressive is Lansdale's ability to express a spectrum of emotions with his consistently gentle and melancholy vocal delivery. There's blunt, raw emotion in lines like, "I don't wanna talk anymore / There's nothing left to say," but his singing draws the regret out of these words, too.
For a brief three-track EP, Dance with You manifests a comprehensive look at love, showing it in its many lights and mediums. Whether it be the slow-burning excitement of a first dance or the disheartening disappointment of an affair, Lansdale brings it all to the table.
Country music songwriters have long been gifted at bringing the face, heart, and soul of love -- with all its aches and pains -- to the listener. With Dance with You, Lansdale continues to join in this legacy, carving out his own unique path.
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