Album Notes

Taylor Brown's first solo album, 'What Lies', released this fall [2006], is bold in a million different ways. The tracks on 'What Lies' are grown-up love letters, concretely personal, with Brown unabashedly laying his life out for his listeners. This is a change for Brown. "I was looking back at songs I recorded in 2001, and none of them were about love." 'What Lies' is also a departure from his trio's double disk, 'Notebook', released in 2005. It is more refined and concise with only 8 elegant tracks, out of 14 recorded. Part of this change comes from his continuing partnership with producer Gordon Millsaps, whom Brown gave more creative control to for this newest project. "Gordon brought out the rougher side to my voice, letting it sound dirtier and heavier. Ultimately, He is responsible for how the album sounds." What Lies is also the result of collaboration with percussionist, Rigel Byrum-Ridge. "Rigel is the perfect percussionist, he's so sensitive and puts himself into the songs, and is very flexible, playing all sorts of different styles. I couldn't find a better drummer."

Taylor Brown's earliest memory of his childhood in Philadelphia is making up songs on a plastic guitar when he was three. His musical ambitions were especially encouraged by his guitar-playing father, and his musical lineage goes back to his grandfather, who was a professional fiddle player. For Brown, writing and performing songs have always been a way of life. "I'm better at expressing myself through songwriting than any other way." From Brown toured with folk musician Kate Taylor. He has performed with Kate and as a solo artist all over the country. His favorite venues range from Offshore Ale, a microbrewery bar with peanut shells covering the floor in Oak Bluffs, MA, to Carnegie Hall in New York. Among others, he has appeared with Livingston Taylor, Dar Williams, Felicia Collins, Tom Rush, Levon Helm, Bob Dylan's longtime bass player Tony Garnier, and Carly Simon.