One thing you can’t accuse Riley Taylor of is a lack of ambition. The 26-year-old “barrel-toned” country singer and songwriter from Burton, New Brunswick, makes a statement with his debut offering that’s nothing short of audacious: a 30-song introductory effort called Story To Tell that is sure to set music industry tongues wagging.
No, that’s not a typo: Riley Taylor’s debut albuyearm consists of 30 narratives whose subject matter covers all walks of life: the vagaries of romance and the expression of regret; the lonesome longing for a relationship that has passed its expiration date; the emotional turmoil of sorting yourself out; a couple of great storytelling songs and a relatable assortment of drinking songs that celebrate the end of another mundane work week.
Of the 30, all produced by Adam Newcomb, half are Taylor originals or co-writes – including “Hometowns,” the current single rocketing up the charts – and the rest are contributions from names you’ll recognize as the cream of the Canadian country crop of talented songwriters and performers: Jade Eagleson, Owen Riegling, Daryl Scott, Jesse Slack, Dave Thomson, Patricia Conroy, Aaron Goodvin, Griffen Palmer and others. They add their own personal touches to the remainder of the material except for the original twists Taylor provides on three cover songs: The Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers,” Matchbox Twenty’s “3AM” and Live’s “Lightning Crashes.”
Why the multitude of material?
“I wanted to do something different and make a memorable impression,” says Taylor. “I’m a late bloomer and I’m still playing catch-up.”
He’s not kidding: until 2021, Riley Taylor couldn’t even imagine a career in country music being possible, until a whole-hearted embrace by the influential Boots & Hearts Festival, held annually at Burl’s Creek, Ontario, indicated otherwise.
“I won their Emerging Artist Showcase,” Taylor recalls, admitting he was as surprised as anyone when he claimed victory. “I didn’t even have a band: It was just me and my guitar in front of thousands of people. That was the turning point. That’s when you realize that if you’re going to go at it, you’ve got to go at it hard.”
Up to that point, the closest that Riley Taylor came to a career path was the year-and-a-half he spent at the University of New Brunswick studying engineering and recognizing that… he hated it.
“I kind of drank myself out of a degree,” Taylor jokes. He then took a series of odd jobs – carpenter, lobster trawler cook – before fathoming his true calling.
“I was only 20 and I kind of thought my life was over, my world was done,” Taylor confessed. “And then music came along.”
One of the advantages of performing in a military-based town like Burton, located 40 minutes from Fredericton, is that there are a lot of opportunities to refine your craft.
“There’s a lot of small pubs and what would be considered karaoke bars,” says Taylor. “They’ll let you come in and cut your teeth as a performer.”
Envisioning Kentucky neo-traditionalist Tyler Childers as his spirit country musician, Taylor expanded his horizons and toured across Canada with Eagleson, Riegling, Brett Kissel, Sacha, Jason McCoy, Michelle Wright, Doc Walker, Robyn Ottolini, Kip Moore and Cooper Alan over the past few years, while honing his performing and songwriting chops.
“I gleaned every little tidbit, any little nugget I could from any artist I was around, big or small,” says Taylor. “I’m just trying to respect the craft and acknowledge how hard it is to see it through.”
There was one artist in particular that caught Taylor’s attention.
“I was obsessed with Tyler Childers,” says Taylor. “He had long hair and looked rough around the edges, but something about his sound brought out the bright side of sadness and I found that he highlighted a lot of things in ways that other songwriters couldn’t do for me as a listener. I thought, if I can be something like that, it would be so cool. It’d be awesome.”
He had dabbled in the art of song creation before. “The first song I wrote was in high school about a girl that I wanted to be with. It was in Grade 11,” he recalls. But he admits he finds it easier writing about life when it’s experienced by others.
“I’m better at writing somebody else’s story,” Taylor admits. “‘Black Gold’ was inspired by one of my best friends, Colt. He’s out in Alberta and I was going to go with him to work the oil rigs. I ended up staying back, but we kept in touch, and he said, ‘the shit that goes on up here, you should write a song about it.’
“He gave me one line, ‘Throwin’ pipe and spinnin’ ropes,’ and I asked him if I could use that line. I was quite proud of that song because I wasn’t writing a whole lot at that time, and I felt from the beginning that that was a good song.”
“Black Gold” is a gritty song about the blue-collar, industrial life and a great representation of the many directions Riley Taylor is able to interpret and perform with his music.
The song joins the previously released “Better Days” (an Eagleson/Palmer number about the love of a good woman); “Good Things” (initially released as part of Taylor’s Boots & Hearts victory bounty, but reimagined here with more drawl and personality); and the alcohol-fueled pair of party songs “Five Beers” and “Pour Excuses” that would fit perfectly in any honky-tonk jukebox that has a repeat button.
What makes Taylor’s music so magical is his ability to assume numerous sides of the same coin: his charismatic voice can switch from agreeable tenor to full-bodied baritone on a dime, and his topics – including the hit “Hometowns,” a song about township allegiance (“We all got one we want to make proud”) – range from compelling storytelling to full-blown confessionals like “Fucked Up,” which treads Bruce Springsteen territory in terms of self-awareness and regret.
And the thing is – he’s just getting started. The early returns of Taylor’s music have caught the ears of several radio music programmers coast-to-coast, amassing 5 million global streams in just 16 months to the point where he graced the covers of Apple Music’s Canada’s Country and Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Country playlists.
Featured on the Today’s Country playlist for the past couple of years, the Honky Tonk Record Co. artist is turning heads everywhere he goes. And now that he knows he can do it, avid fisherman, basketball fan and pineapple pizza lover Riley Taylor knows what he wants to achieve.
“The biggest thrill for me is when I can get people to sing words that I know I wrote, or was at least part of writing, and moving them to emotionally react,” Taylor explained. “Seeing something come to fruition just does it for me.”
And when you spin Story To Tell – which clicks in at an hour and 45 minutes – you’ll hear Riley Taylor’s abilities for yourself and realize what everyone who has already been exposed to this amazing talent has: his breakthrough is imminent.
“Better Days” are in store for Riley Taylor.
Upcoming tour dates:
April 17 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – The Machine Shop (with Kip Moore)
April 18 – Sudbury, ON – Place des Arts du Grand (with Kip Moore)
April 19 – London, ON – London Music Hall (with Kip Moore)
April 22 – Toronto, ON – Rivoli (Album Release Show)
April 25 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Beanfield (with Kip Moore)
May 1 – Saskatoon, SK – Capitol Music Club
May 2 – Moose Jaw, SK – Bobby’s Place
May 3 – Lethbridge, AB – The Slice Bar & Grill
May 9/10 – Edmonton, AB – Daisy’s Saloon
May 22 – Pincher Creek, AB – Excuses Tavern
June 21 – Strathmore, AB – Cowboy Town Concert (with Cooper Alan)
