Jackson Taylor Band

The Whiskey Sessions

Gaske Records

by Dave Pilot

“Don’t you think this outlaw bit’s done got out of hand?” – Waylon Jennings, 1978

“Maybe battle scars and whiskey breath ain’t in your market plan; I don’t think you’re ready for no real life Honky Tonk Man.” – Jackson Taylor, 2006

In a Clear Channel world where homogeneity and blandness are the rule, Jackson Taylor and his band burn like the volcanic fires that destroyed Pompeii.  As with Vesuvius, sometimes they simmer and show only hints of the heat that’s down below. And sometimes they erupt in a white-hot burst that illuminates all and destroys that which lacks substance.  With The Whiskey Sessions, they do both exceedingly well.

It is difficult to review CDs like this one, if only because the use of superlatives required can’t help but come off as overkill in the eyes of you, my Gentle Reader.  At some point, one has to stop and simply say, “This is good.  You should buy it.  It will be one of your favorite records for as long as you live.”  And that’s what I’m saying here.  I’ve not heard a record this luminous in years.  Can’t quit playing it.  Can’t quit dancing to it.  Can’t quit singing along.  Loudly.  The truth is, this is what outlaw country has to be.  It’s what Waylon would’ve done if he’d been really serious.  And don’t go throwing stones at me for that; I’m the biggest Waylon fan around.  But even Old Hoss would have agreed, you got to call a spade a spade. Jackson Taylor is the ace in that suit.

This record has honky-tonk attitude a-plenty.  The first cut, “No Apologies,” makes that clear with its title well before you hear the opening riffs.  It’s got hard-earned heart wisdom, the kind that comes from loving openly and fully and having that blow up in your face (“Joy and Pain”):

"There was something in the eyes of that girl
Like some star just always out of reach
I offered the heart of a boy to a girl of only nineteen
She made every fantasy come true
Then she destroyed all my dreams"

There’s redemption later, in “Tonight (Is All About Me),” and taken in tandem the astonishing thing about both songs is that they lack bitterness.  The pain is visceral, the recovery bare-knuckle honest, and in the end Jackson seems clear that the going up was worth the coming down.  He underscores that later, in “Saved”:

"You found me with one foot in the grave
And I can’t find one reason you’ve stayed
There must be something up there after all
Cause baby you’re all the proof I need of God"

One thing that’s always been true of a honky-tonk life is that it will burn you to ashes or make you a man; there’s no in-between.  We’ve all seen the detritus left by those who were immolated.  And just this past year we heard Toby Keith try to tell us what it’s like to come to grips with the thought of not being as good as we once were.  What he tried to say is what Jackson says in “That’s Just Life”:

"All you lovely lovely ladies ain’t chasing me quite as fast
But I’m slowing down so I’m easier to catch
Now I’m drinking less whiskey
And I’m drinking more beer
I’m thinking less crazy
And I’m thinking more clear
I’ve lost a little anger
I’ve lost a little rage
I’ve gained a little peace

 as I’ve gained a little age"

Intrigued yet?  You should be, because we haven’t heard songwriting this open and this honest in eons.  And outside of Social Distortion, and maybe the Dust Devils, we’ve never heard it in a full band wall of sound delivery.  This is something special, something unique.  No one else is making outlaw country like this.  From the sheer beauty and breathtaking depth of “The Mirror,” which may be the best cut on the record, through the burnished optimism of “Modern Day Joad,” the Jackson Taylor Band is here to make a statement.  It boils down to the simple things we all tend to forget.  Fully live your life.  Know who the hell you are.  Then be who the hell you are, without apology and without pretense.  And in that, find yourself.  Destiny’s a piece of cake after that journey.

I’ve only scratched the surface here.  Haven’t told you about the cover of Mike Ness’s “Highway 101,” or Merle’s “Are the Good Times Really Over for Good.” Haven’t explored the introspection in the title cut, or the shades-of-Gary-Stewart whiskey wisdom in “Bottom of the Bottle.”  And I won’t. I don’t have the words. Jackson Taylor already used them all.  Exquisitely.

Point your browser to www.jacksontaylorband.com, where you can order a copy.  Or go to www.myspace.com/thejacksontaylorband, and listen to “No Apologies” and “The Mirror” for yourself.  In those two cuts you’ll sense the depth and scope of The Whiskey Sessions.  And if you don’t want this record after that, son, it’s time to turn in the Justins and go buy yourself a tie.
                                                                                           

Written by Dave Pilot, January, 2007

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