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Photo: David Randall/GRTR!
It’s no surprise to find Joanne Shaw Taylor in the list of ‘GRTR! Greats’, if only for the fact that aside from her visceral guitar playing ability, she is an exemplar of the modern aspirational musician.
She’s built her career through the twin barrels of musical versatility and a willingness to incorporate different, but related musical influences into her own evolving songwriting process.
This is evidenced by her discography which was originally rooted in her rock-blues influenced debut album ‘White Sugar’, while 16 years later, her new album ‘Black & Gold’ leans much more towards song-driven Americana.
Domestically, she’s also significantly journeyed from her native West Midlands, via Detroit to Nashville, the current hub of what’s left of the contemporary music industry, and a place where a power solo can comfortably fit in a country related song.
Originally influenced by the newfound interest in blues via Stevie Ray Vaughan, the dynamics of Albert Collins, and guitar icons such as Hendrix and Freddie King, she quickly tapped into some of her contemporaries such as Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Discovered and mentored by Dave Stewart, she toured Europe with him under the banner of DUP (De Universal Playas). He encouraged her to become a more fully rounded musician in terms of realising her singing and songwriting potential.
Her growing emphasis on songs is such that on her latest album she’s uses session musicians rather than her tour band, in an attempt to get maximum focus on the songs rather than relying on the familiarity of her tour band for spark.
It’s a brave approach which illustrates her continuing evolution as an artist who is always willing to experiment.
She may be routed in blues but she’s equally open to rock, soul and more recently pop influences.
The cross genre approach has led her to the new album ‘Black & Gold’ being notable for its guitar driven Americana feel. It’s also interwoven with the kind of reflective lyrics that only experience can bring.
She’s described her 12 albums so far as different snapshots of her life, but she’s also smart enough to note that; …when you listen back to them as a catalogue, they’ll always sound like they’re the same artist.”
In the early days of our coverage we noted a weakness in the vocal department, but by 2010 this had been sorted, Joanne’s husky delivery had been fine tuned and ultimately sounded like she’d been chain-smoking Woodbines all day.
Guitar-wise she initially caught our attention with the instrumental title track of the debut White Sugar album, while the ragged vocal, but groove laden ‘Kiss The Ground’, suggested a real talent in the making.
Pete Whalley wrote about that debut album …”be prepared to be blown away by the fresh ‘plug in and play’ style of blues reminiscent of guitar heroes such as Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan” The real shock horror revelation is that Joanne Shaw Taylor is a Brummie lass in her early twenties”.
Andrew Lock reviewed our first JST gigs in November 2009 and May 2010. The second album Diamonds In The Dirt came in 2010 when Pete Feenstra commented:
“…This is a mature crossover blues album that will surely appeal to a wider audience, but there’s still room for some fiery solos and real intense playing as on ‘World On Fire’. Crammed full of good songs, meaningful lyrics, great playing and an intuitive production, all ten tracks are bound together by an inherent flow that gives the album its coherence…”
Dave (Stewart) became a big musical influence for me and a guiding hand generally when I was 15 or 16. He said things like you are good at blues guitar but you should try and sing too. That led me to having the confidence to write songs too.
Dave really made me realise my early potential, he’d always be suggesting more things to try and explore. He would say you have the ability to do this, what else would you like to try next.
Joanne Shaw Taylor, November 2011
Pete Feenstra reviewed Joanne’s May 2011 gig in London
“for a bewildering moment your middle aged fans are transported back in time to the dewey eyed days of the fretboard magic of the younger Johnny Winter, but with added restraint and certainly way more cool.
So welcome to the new generation blues in the capable hands of Joanne Shaw Taylor.”
Photo: Lee Millward
In June 2012 Joanne appeared at the Queen’s Birthday Jubilee with Annie Lennox and also in that year released her third album Almost Always Never which pushed her more towards confessional, narrative driven musical intensity. David Randall noted:
“…If there is a criticism, as previously there is a lack of truly standout tracks. Joanne Shaw Taylor makes consistently solid albums and this latest offering will surely appeal to her growing fanbase but she does need some more, dare I say, commercial tracks to round out what is essentially a fully-formed approach from one of our best blues rockers
…Whilst her soulful, throaty vocals are convincing, you can’t help thinking that they are a tad forced and in truth at times irritatingly monotone, a Birmingham gal singing like she comes from Alabama rather than west of Aston. You either get it or you don’t.”
Photo: Noel Buckley
Noel Buckley, reviewing her October 2012 gig, noted …With each album getting stronger and stronger Joanne is a unique talent amongst the current crop of blues rock artists.”
I think from my point of view I’m one of the biggest guitar nerds on the planet. In the course of a 2 hour show you can start to feel like you’re being beaten around the head with it.
I think it’s important to break the show up and offer some variety or at least a break from 12 minute solos. Perhaps my audience wouldn’t want to hear an entire set of that genre of material but I think in the context of the show it’s a nice pace changer.
When reviewing the live DVD shoot, Pete noted that the songs were based round “…A mix of biographical and poignant relationship songs, intricate word plays and incendiary guitar playing which lit up a powerful set.”
She also broke new ground as an emotive interpretive singer on a soulful rendition of Frankie Miller’s ‘Jealousy’, complete with incendiary guitar work which remained a staple in her live set over subsequent years.
2014 saw the release of Joanne Shaw Taylor’s fourth studio album (following the release of her first live album). Pete Feenstra wrote:
“The end result is an album that’s easy on the ear and maintains our interest throughout via mellow grooves and sparkling rhythms, even if you do have to wait patiently for the solos. Joanne’s husky phrasing draws you in but never quite engages us emotionally, but happily she does that with her guitar playing which bring us full circle.
Pete attended the “secret” album launch in September 2014 and further commented “…Joanne Shaw Taylor may be a consummate guitar playing rocking blues artist, but she constantly defies expectations with wide ranging material and a live show that always seeks to achieve more.”
At Planet Rockstock in December 2014 Darren Griffiths effused: “…From the moment she walked on stage she had the Porthcawl crowd in the palm of her hand and then proceeded to leave nearly everyone in the room with their mouths wide open as we witnessed what can only be described as a God-given talent.”
Photo: Darren Griffiths
Joanne Shaw Taylor gives every impression of a woman going big places in a hurry.
Pete Feenstra chatted to Joanne Shaw Taylor for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio discussing her musical influences and inspirations. First broadcast 20 September 2015.
The period of 2015-2018 was one of consolidation with support slots to the likes of Robin Trower, Wilko Johnson, Foreigner and various festival dates including Ramblin Man Fair and Stone Free.
2016′s ‘Wild’ was produced in Nashville by Kevin Shirley with members of Joe Bonamassa’s band. And if the results didn’t quite match the album title, then tracks like ‘Dyin’ To Know’ and the rhythmic aggression of ‘Wanna Be Your Lover’ came right off the JST template.
She also extended her interpretive abilities on ‘Wild Is The Wind’, on an album that gave her gave her the highest chart position of her career so far.
She was back in Detroit to team up with producer Al Sutton (Greta van Vleet) for ‘Reckless Heart’ (2019) after signing with the newly resurrected Silvertone label.
The relational song based album song included the soulful and emotionally honest ‘I’m Only Lonely’.
Photo: David Randall/GRTR!
David Randall summed up her present situation:
Since her album debut a decade ago Joanne has honed her skill-set: stage and song-craft, guitar playing and especially vocals and not least influenced by her prolonged stateside sojurn.
What it does demonstrate is that – for many artists – there is no quick fix for ascendancy in a fast-food mentality consumer-driven music business and much like Joe Bonamassa she has achieved her current position through sustained hard toil and graft.
The past couple of albums have also shown a willingness to break out from the blues rock template she started with when she was described as …the new face of the blues”. It’s a path taken more recently by her contemporaries of either gender – witness Erja Lyytinen, Ana Popovic or King King and even Eric Gales.
If this gig showed Joanne Shaw Taylor staying close to her blues roots there’s a definite feeling that she could easily entice a wider demographic than the predominately male audience of a certain age present tonight.
Three years later Dave Atkinson also noted the change from his last sortie to a JST gig (in 2016)
“Joanne was exuding a swagger and charm new to these eyes. She was bossing the stage, having a cheery word with each band member in turn and smiling, grinning and waving: generally having a ball.”
Even more relevant, the voice was stronger than previously. The first eight tracks here came from last year’s ‘The Blues Album’. That collection of covers seemed to project her vocals more than earlier releases. And she was able to repeat in a live arena those husky tones that have now mellowed into a characterful, emotive delivery.”
And if her 2021 ‘The Blues Album’ felt like a stop-gap, fans were rewarded with another genre shift on the soulful pop of Nobody’s Fool (2022).
The album drew more admiration from David Randall who wrote: “…Whilst the blues percolates through this offering, it is perhaps the most accessible album Joanne Shaw Taylor has produced. It should have made more ‘Best ofs’ in 2022 and not necessarily in the …blues” category.”
Though the album spanned pop, Motown and R&B influences (as on the horn driven ‘True Love’) there was also the chooglin’ blues groove ‘Then There’s You’ to remind us of her musical origins.
Her musical consistency and restless desire to explore new musical avenues were again to be found on the 2024 release Heavy Soul
A very contemporary sounding album within the roots traditions, it trod a thin line between commercialism and a soulful heart, as evidenced by the title track which subtly wove its sway round a booming hook, while you could argue the superb cover of Joan Armatrading ‘All The Way From America’ reminded the listener of what the album was aiming for in the first place.
Photo: Marty Moffatt
Andy Nathan hadn’t seen Joanne in concert since 2018 but noticed the differences in 2024, reviewing her London gig:
“…two things struck me. One was an increased self assurance in engaging the audience, with direct humour, and taking them into her confidence. This was particularly evident when talking about the loss of her mother to cancer a decade ago, with some very sage reflections on grief, as an explanation of the context of ‘Fade Away’, on which she played acoustic guitar.
The other is that those many years based in the States have broadened her musical palette, as an all round songwriter and singer with a strong streak of southern soul even in her vocals, and far more than just a blues rock guitar hero. Most of the songs also had a very Americanised feel to them”
Pete Feenstra chatted to Joanne Shaw Taylor for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, with selected tracks from her albums. This is an edited version of the show first broadcast 31 August 2025.
Joanne Shaw Taylor’s latest album – Black & Gold - was released in June 2025. It more completely integrated the more accessible tunes -Nashville friendly elements – with her blues rock origins, with Pete Feenstra also stating …There’s plenty of salient melodies, subtle harmonies, catchy rhythms and memorable hooks.”
Arguably her most complete album so far, ‘Black & Gold’ is the latest pit-stop for an artist who can confidently look forward to new ways to frame her burgeoning talent.
Pete sums it up …All the time she has grown confidently as an artist. Her husky expressive phrasing (a giant leap forward from her early career), and vibrant guitar playing (in which each solo sounds like an emphatic conversation) dovetails effortlessly into recent songs, on which she’s opened herself more emotionally. And it’s her songs which will ultimately carry her forward.
It’s been an exciting journey so far, from the instrumental title track of ‘White Sugar’ to the nascent songwriting partnership with keyboard player Paul Whitfield on ‘A Grayer Shade of Blue’, one of the stand-out tracks on the current ‘Black & Gold’ album.
It almost feels like a new impetus in an organic career that remains open to all possibilities.
Main story: Pete Feenstra
Continuity: David Randall
Contributors: Dave Atkinson, Noel Buckley, Pete Feenstra, Darren Griffiths, Andrew Lock, Andy Nathan, David Randall, Pete Whalley
JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR
2026 UK TOUR DATES
SUNDAY 25 JANUARY
EDINBURGH, THE QUEEN’S HALL
MONDAY 26 JANUARY
BUXTON, OPERA HOUSE
WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY
BLACKPOOL, OPERA HOUSE
THURSDAY 29 JANUARY
SUNDERLAND, THE FIRE STATION
FRIDAY 30 JANUARY
SOUTHEND, PALACE THEATRE
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,
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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 16 November 2025.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This 600th show was first broadcast on 18 November 2025
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Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025
We feature all the artists selected in this sequence in 2025.
Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)
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