aaamusic | On 18, Apr 2011

Following her performances at Black Country Communion’s December 2010 concerts at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall and London Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Joanne Shaw Taylor returns to the UK in May 2011 to undertake a major nationwide UK tour of her own.

Taylor, a rising star on the international blues scene, will perform music from her debut album White Sugar, plus songs from her critically acclaimed exciting 2010 album Diamonds in the Dirt.

Best British Female Vocalist of the Year – British Blues Awards 2010

Celebrated by Classic Rock magazine, Joanne Shaw Taylor is fast becoming a rising star in the British Blues guitar music scene. Having won Best British Female Vocalist of the Yearat the British Blues Awards 2010, Taylor also received a Best New Artist Debut nomination for her debut album White Sugar.

Taylor’s latest album, Diamonds in the Dirt sees her reunited her with Grammy-winning producer Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan) along with the same team responsible for the success of her White Sugar debut album.

Recorded at Gaines’ Bessie Blue Studios in rural Tennessee, Diamonds in the Dirt begins with the unexpected sound of a lone acoustic guitar but soon shifts into overdrive, becoming a dizzying display of frenetic, full-throttle electric power. Taylor recently moved to Detroit, Michigan, and attributes the heavy sound of Diamonds in the Dirt to her new musical environment – a place immortalised in song as Detroit Rock City.

“There’s a lot of incredible bands and musicians in Detroit,” says Taylor. “It’s given me new inspiration and been part of the reason for the slightly heavier sound on the Diamonds album.”

Songs like Can’t Keep Living Like This and Have Mercy showcase a remarkable range of dynamics. Taylor and her tight, two-piece rhythm section build gradually upon solid, riff-driven grooves. When the moment comes, the guitarist launches into one of her incendiary solos. On Have Mercy, Taylor, drummer Steve Potts and bassist Dave Smith explode together in a breathtaking climax.

The title track Diamonds in the Dirt is a song about the process of emotional recovery, and shows Taylor’s softer, more melodic qualities of her singing and playing, as well as her willingness to reveal and heal. “Writing, for me, is very personal,” says Taylor. “All the songs on this album are autobiographical. It’s basically a chance to put thoughts and fears to paper.”

As tempting as it was to try and repeat the success of White Sugar, so much has changed in Taylor’s life since then that she never even considered it. Diamonds in the Dirt is a fitting step forward. “I wanted an album that showed my growth as a musician and person,” concludes Taylor. “I think Diamonds in the Dirt is a good snapshot of where I am right now as an artist and a good memoir of the past two years.”

www.seetickets.com – www.thegigcartel.com
Tuesday 17th May
Wolverhampton Robin
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 01902 401211
www.therobin.co.uk
20-22 Mount Pleasant, Bilston, Wolverhampton, WV14 7LJ

Wednesday 18th May
Buxton Opera House
Tickets: £22.00 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
Water Street, Buxton, SK17 6XN

Friday 20th May
Edinburgh The Caves
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.thecavesedinburgh.com
8-12 Niddry Street, South Cowgate, Edinburgh, EH1 1NS

Saturday 21st May
Glasgow O2 Academy
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.o2academyglasgow.co.uk
121 Eglinton Street, Glasgow, G5 9NT

Sunday 22nd May
Aberdeen The Lemon Tree
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.boxofficeaberdeen.com
5 West North Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5AT

Monday 23rd May
York Opera House
Tickets: £22.00 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.grandoperahouseyork.org.uk
4 Cumberland Street, York, YO1 9SW

Wednesday 25th May
Newcastle O2 Academy
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.o2academynewcastle.co.uk
Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SW

Friday 27th May
Sheffield O2 Academy
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.o2academysheffield.co.uk
37-43 Arundel Gate, Sheffield, S1 2PN

Saturday 28th May
Manchester Academy
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.manchesteracademy.net
Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PQ

Sunday 29th May
Bristol The Tunnels
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.thetunnelsbristol.co.uk
Arches 31 & 32, Lower Station Approach Road, Bristol, BS1 6QF

Tuesday 31st May
London Islington O2 Academy
Tickets: £12.50 / Box Office: 0871 230 1101
www.o2academyislington.co.uk
N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, Islington, London, N1 0PS

www.joanneshawtaylor.com