New Artist to Listen For: Taylor Carson

Last week I caught a show at Sullivan Hall with up and coming musician Taylor Carson. A friend of mine told me about him and after having a listen to his latest album, Standing Alone, we decided to check him out.

I read a quote on his MySpace page from a recent album review that said, "Generation X had Dave Matthews, Generation Y has John Mayer and Generation Z will have Taylor Carson." I was a little skeptical, being a John Mayer fan myself, but Taylor definitely surprised me and still has me wondering if that quote will pan out to be true.

Taylor's singing and guitar style was reminiscent to John Mayer and Jason Mraz at some points, with a deeper voice and intricate guitar features in many of his songs. But there was something else. My friend mentioned that she could picture a full rock band behind him and I think that's what it was. Taylor is a little bit more rock. His 50-minute, 14-song set had most in attendance singing along to verses he taught them, saying, "Y'all wanna sing along with me? Don't be shy!"

While he played a few songs off his latest album, Standing Alone, Taylor also covered some songs including the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," the theme song to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the Temptations' "My Girl" - often putting his own spin on the songs. His stage presence was strong and for many seeing him for the first time, he definitely impressed.

One of his later songs was a new one, which he told the audience had no title and he was open to suggestions. Last song of the night was "Lucky Tonight," which in the middle of playing he stopped, telling the crowd he forgot the lyrics. You wouldn't have noticed it though, because he segued right into some improvisation, singing lyrics from Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Brain," getting laughs from the crowd.

So is Taylor Carson the next John Mayer? Check him out in concert to see for yourself!

I sat down with Taylor after his performance and chatted about how he got into music, his current east coast tour and where he finds his inspiration for the music he writes. Check back in a few days for the full interview! And if you haven't yet, listen to him on MySpace.