BLUE BLOODS ED
DISCOVER THE UNDISCOVER
HUGHES TAYLOR hughestaylormusic.com
Hughes Taylor puts his own spin on 21st Century Blues. Weaving influences of icons like Hendrix, Vaughan, and Clapton with elements of Muscle Shoals, Stax, vintage southern rock and more, he forges his own trail to impressive results. Modern Nostalgia, his fourth studio album, sees the singer-guitarist (who’s still in his 20s) really beginning to flex his musical muscles. “In some ways it’s a concept album,” he notes. “The title sums up the unifying thread that weaves through all the tracks; tapping into classic styles but doing it in a modern way.” He goes on to explain how he was exposed to the blues at an early age. “When I was 12 or 13 a friend of my father turned me on to Clapton. I had already been messing around with basic chords on guitar for a few years at that point but, once I heard that, and then Stevie Ray Vaughan, I dove into the blues and there was no turning back. From the moment I would get home from school, every day, I wouldn’t put the guitar down. I would even wake up in the middle of the night and realize I’d fallen asleep playing. Being predominantly self-taught, and playing everything by ear, encouraged me to be versatile and unrestricted. I let the music take me where it wants to go, and I feel each note in my soul. That’s what led me to start writing my own songs.” He started recording those originals in his parents’ basement after buying recording gear for his 14th birthday. He was also honing his live skills, playing with anyone who would have him—any time. “I was in my first official band when I was 14 36
ISSUE 124
or 15, but it was essentially a cover band. Soon after that, I realized I had a clear vision of what I wanted. So by the time I could legally drive, I was performing under my own name with literally whomever was available to play with me. That way I could do my originals. By the time I finished high school, I had the first lineup of the Hughes Taylor Band in place and we were playing gigs.” Despite the inevitable lineup changes in his band, he continued refining his technique and developing a signature sound while recording and releasing three studio albums between 2016 and 2019 (along with a live album recorded in the UK in early 2020). By the time he began working on Modern Nostalgia, he also solidified what he considered to be the definitive lineup of the band. Written during the pandemic and recorded at the legendary Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, GA, the album comfortably takes its place as a modern successor to the great music that put Capricorn on the map many years ago. Modern Nostalgia plays out like a rewrite of the Blues roadmap of the past 50 years, but it also shows reverence to the past. A Chicago shuffle retains all its traditional hallmarks, Texas blues retain their Lone Star signature, and a classic road song is still a classic road song. But it’s Taylor’s keen songwriting sense that elevates everything and breathes new life into it all. Across the album’s 12 songs, it becomes quickly apparent he’s as adept at self-editing as he is at playing; there are no wasted notes but it all still feels loose and casual with an innate sense of precision.
BLUESMATTERS.COM
