Soul Music Friday : Tasha Taylor & Dessy DiLauro

If you like Soul, R&B and women who can sing, then tonight , you should come down to Harvelle's in Santa Monica! These two diverse yet equally original artists will make your Friday one to remember!

Dessy DiLauro brings her fro-hawked, Harlem renaissance influenced, hep-hop, jumpin', jivin' show in support of her latest record "You Won't Be The Boss" (featuring Deploi). The singer who has affiliations to House Of Vibe and Cirque Du Soleil, always brings her "A" game, singing her heart out and winning audiences over from here to Montreal.

Tonight she'll be supported by her band The Hep Cats.

Opening the night at 9:30, Tasha Taylor will be throwing down a set of soul and R&B in support of her album Taylor Made. Daughter of '70s R&B legend Johnny Taylor, Tasha is a wonderful vocalist who's warmth and soothing sounds will rock you gently into the midnight hour.

Dessy DiLauro & Tasha Taylor : TGIF Double Header

It's around 80 degrees in L.A. today and while that itself is not particularly unusual, it's certainly the talk of the town. This unseasonable heat can make one a little crazy.

Let's instead talk about tonight's *HOT* double bill.

Opening the night, Tasha Taylor will be throwing down a set of soul and R&B in support of her album Taylor Made. Tasha is a wonderful vocalist who's warmth and soothing sounds rock me gently into the midnight hour.





here's video of Tasha singing Amy Winehouse's Valerie at Harvelle's July 26 of 2011

Dessy DiLauro brings her fro-hawked, Harlem renaissance influenced, hep-hop, jumping', jivin' show in support of her latest record "You Won't Be The Boss" (featuring Deploi). The singer who has affiliations to House Of Vibe and Cirque Du Soleil, always brings her "A" game, singing her heart out and winning audiences over from here to Montreal.

Tasha Taylor : Friday Night Special

This Friday is a special show. The Tommy Johnson Show will be headlining, but warming the night up will be Tasha Taylor. Tasha has quietly been building a following, but for those who just can't get out mid-week to see her on a Tuesday (she performs every Tuesday), Friday is a great time to check her out. Come early - her set will start around 9:00.

 (l—r) Wes Smith, Will Artrope and Zane Musa are the horn section. The rest of the band is Tommy King (keys), Kunio Kaneki (drums), Kyle Bolden (guitar), Rick Taub (bass) and Jon Harrison Taylor (guitar)

Tasha and the band play every Tuesday night. Her CD Taylor Made is available at the gig and all the usual outlets.

Tasha Taylor : Totally Tuesday

Every Tuesday night at Harvelle's, Tasha Taylor brings her "A"-game and gives us an evening of indelible soul with her incredible voice. [TashaTaylor.com] Feminine and knowing, her voice has a warmth to it, not unlike Gladys Knight's or Carole King's - comforting and deeply passionate. That voice, she owns!! 

Her originals - culled mostly from her CD Taylor Made - are plush, radio-friendly bites of classic songwriting with some memorable lyrics; In What Difference Does It Make she manages to rhyme "high life" with "sunrise" and "Hawaiian islands" which is a great trick not many can do! 

"I want to marry a man who meditates/ who asks me to slow dance in the middle of the day/ drive home ... just to see my face..." she sings in Somebody, listing the qualities she desires in a Prince Charming who hasn't yet shown up. 

My fave track continues to be "Refund"; we can all relate when she - completely unsatisfied with her selection - demands "I need a refund for my lover!"; later in the verse she drives herself crazy trying to figure out what went wrong ("You WON'T (and) I CAN'T do the right thing...") - I just want to hug her and tell her it's going to be o.k. and not to listen to too much Alanis Morisette in the interim. 

Some of Taylor Made's other standout cuts include "Wonder Woman", "Best Friend" and "Queen", although the song quality and craftsmanship is very consistent throughout. In her live show, she mixes things up with versions of R&B classics, often doing Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood", her father, Johnnie Taylor's hit record "Who's Making Love" and last week, in dedication to Amy Winehouse, she covered "Valerie" (see video below).

Her band is Tommy King (keys), Kunio Kaneki (drums), Kyle Bolden (guitar) and Rick Taub (bass). The horn section is Zane Musa (sax), Wes Smith (sax), and Will Artrope (trumpet). Tasha's brother Jon Harrison Taylor plays acoustic guitar, and Tasha herself boldly rocks the rhythm on a black Gibson SG.

Already extending it's run twice, Tasha's Tuesday night residency at Harvelle's is scheduled to continue through until the end of August. Tasha's CD Taylor Made is available at the gigs and all the usual outlets: CD_Baby + Amazon + iTunes + DigiStation

 DJ Arthur Allblack representing Club Soleside, always spins a funky selection of rare grooves from the 1960s exclusively on vinyl 45's, keeping the crowd moving with smiles on their faces, until closing.

below - Tasha performing Amy Winehouse's "Valerie"

for more about Tasha Taylor check out my other blog [fulltimepoet.com]

Tasha Taylor : Her Love Is Rated X*

Here's the facts : Tasha Taylor is the daughter of soul legend Johnnie Taylor. She has a new album out called "Taylor Made". Her Tuesday appearances at Harvelle's will continue through July. Her band includes Zane Musa (sax), Will Artrope (trumpet) and Tommy King (keys). (I will list the rest of the band members here asap.) Tasha's mix of originals and classic soul tunes with the backing of an "A-list" band of musicians is the main feature on "Soul Tuesday". The rest of the soul is provided by Club Soulsides DJs playing vinyl 45's exclusively from the 60s!! Shout out to Paula Weller!!

*Your love is rated 'X'... that stands for X-tra special - Johnnie Taylor ("Your Love Is Rated X")