Information/Write-up
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor has been part of the musical fabric and landscape in Canada for over two decades. Taylor enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2020, when his second solo album, The Ridge which earned praise from press worldwide, and airplay from America to Australia to the U.K. In addition to winning Taylor Solo Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, The Ridge was also nominated for: two Juno Awards (Contemporary Folk Album of The Year, Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year), the Polaris Prize Long List, a Summer Solstice Indigenous Award (Contemporary Folk Album of the Year), a Canadian Music Week INDIES Award (Indigenous Artist of the Year), and an additional Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination in the English Songwriter of the Year category. The nominations and awards kept coming in 2022, with Taylor winning best male artist in the International Acoustic Music Awards, and scoring five Native American Music Award nominations.
His latest album Beyond the Reservoir is an album that addresses identity, loss, sadness, hope, and redemption. The themes of resilience, courage, and strength are prevalent in every carefully-chosen lyric. It contains a gentle spiritual thread that runs throughout the album touching on each of the elements, like fire, water, air, and earth as they relate to humanity. It is a coming-of-age story and a beautifully-orchestrated successor to The Ridge.
Musicians
Julian Taylor: vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, hand drum
Saam Hashemi: piano, percussion, acoustic guitar, wine glasses harp
Derek Downham: mandolin, ukulele, banjo, acoustic guitar, Fender Rhodes piano
Colin Linden: dobro
Burke Carroll: pedal steel guitar
Miranda Mulholland: fiddle
Dave Engle: Hammond organ
Barry Diabo: electric bass
Anna Ruddick: bass, electric bass
Gene Diabo: drums, congas, percussion
Shamaka Ali: drums, percussion, hand drum
Erika Nielsen: cello
Maxime Despax: viola
Aya Miyagawa: violin
Eslin McKay: violin
Sarah Valasco: violin
Amanda Walthar: backing vocals
Sheila Carabine: backing vocals
Songwriting
All songs written by Julian Taylor
Production
Produced by Saam Hashemi
Executive producer: Julian Taylor
Strings arranged by Mike Olsen
Mastered by Noah Mintz
Recorded and mixed at
Canterbury, The Fireside Studio, The Woodshed (Toronto), and Pinehead Recorders (Nashville)
Artwork
Design by Patrick Duffy for Attention
Cover photography from City of Toronto Archives
Additional photography used by permission
Notes
Includes the songs ‘Wide Awake,’ ‘Stolen Lands,’ and ‘100 Proof,’ later featured on Anthology Vol. 2.
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