Lynn Taylor's 'Staggered' Shows Deeply Personal Sides of Grief and Renewal

Courtesy: Michael J Media Group

Nashville, TN (Press Release)--Nashville-based Americana artist Lynn Taylor has an uncanny knack for composing narratives that detail a two-edged razor, tackling — and even celebrating — both life’s angels and devils in one swoop.

On his third release with band the BarFlies, Staggered (set to drop Feb 9th), Taylor continues to flex this talent, this time revealing a staggeringly personal side. The majority of the record was written by Taylor, with his favorite songwriting pal Larry O’Brien — who teamed for what developed out to be a narrative of the emotions surrounding deep grief. 

Taylor lost his wife, Kim, last year after an ongoing struggle with cancer, and much of the album examines his difficult journey. The set’s "If You're Gone” and “Crumble Away” deal directly with the loss, while others such as the title track, “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” and “Lean Into Me” continue the narrative of healing, as life for those left behind must go on. 

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"It's cathartic,” Taylor says of his creative, therapeutic path. “Writing and recording songs about love, loss, and moving forward, are all part of the healing process. There's a dark side to the record, but there's also light and levity. You know — just like life.” 

On the sonic side, the album was recorded and produced by Dave Coleman at Howard's Apartment Studio East Nashville, who took to task the Taylor and the BarFlies’ last release, 2012’s enigmatic and acoustic Hollow Man. This time around, Coleman put his muscle to capturing the grit and soul of the electrified BarFlies, harnessing a side of the band that will bring fans to their feet while they bathe in the emotion of the lyrical content.  

Taylor's vocals are beautifully set off by his backing vocalist/fiddle player Jennifer Halenar; the songs are given a full spectrum of emotion by musicians Sergio Webb on dobro and guitar; Parker Hawkins on bass; Reid Cummings on drums; Dave Coleman on guitar, archtop, pedal steel and percussion; Brady Beard on keys and Mary Mack on clarinet.

Raised as a preacher’s son in east Tennessee and Louisiana, Taylor first became interested in songwriting when a Sunday school teacher gave him an old beater guitar and a stack of dusty Bob Dylan records. John Prine, Neil Young, Guy Clark, The Bad Livers and the vagabond Michael Hurley all influenced the young musician in his formative years. He moved to Nashville in the mid-‘90s and worked his original band, Felix Wiley, before deciding to take off some time to raise a family. Returning to a music career in 2009 with the BarFlies, he’s charmed and electrified Nashville with his flexible indie folk/roots approach. 
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For more information, please visit www.lynntaylormusic.com