After an LP of duets, this is the second posthumous release from the great British pianist John Taylor, and one of his finest. Taylor has long displayed an empathy for singers – from Cleo Laine to his ex-wife Norma Winstone – and this quartet features the burnished baritone of his son Alex, who sounds like a calmer, more soulful Sting. Joining this family affair is drummer Leo from the Invisible (John’s other son with Winstone) while, instead of a bassist, they use Oren Marshall on tuba – someone who can switch between warm, sustained colliery-band pedal notes, nimble New Orleans-style basslines and eccentric solos. Alex Taylor’s lyrics are inspired by a dystopian sci-fi novel by Kurt Vonnegut, and the deliciously bleak mood recalls John Taylor’s work with David Sylvian. This distills many of the features associated with Taylor’s music – tricksy time signatures, surprisingly funky modal jazz solos, elegant lead lines – to create a highly English form of soul music.
