Grammy-nominated songwriter Karen Taylor
Good has had her songs recorded by Patty Loveless, Melissa
Manchester, Laura Branigan, Diamond Rio and many, many more.
Taylor-Good has also collaborated with such notable performers
as Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, George Jones and
Al Green. KTG has received the SESAC Award for 'Best New Artist'
and twice been named 'Songwriter of The Year' along with a ACM
nomination for 'Best New Female Artist'
How Many Women,
released in April 2006 is the sixth album release from this
El Paso (Texas) native containing 15 songs that she has co-written
with a number of her songwriter associates. Karen Taylor-Good
has a very pleasant voice and most of the songs fall very much
into the modern Nashville style of country music. Andy Leftwich
contributes some fine fiddle and
mandolin on the bluegrass driven "God's
Refrigerator", Karen Taylor-Good's first international
single from the CD. "You Never Said
Anything About Love" co-written with Jonathan Yudkin
has that easy listening quality that runs through the most of
the album. Yudkin plays mandolin with the primary accompaniment
coming from Ed Tossing on piano.
The title track from How
Many Women has a more up-beat feel about it with Cliff
Goldmacher making a considerable contribution with a bluesy
harmonica. Colin Rye joins KTG on the love/wedding style song
"If You Do" offering
a fine duet from this pairing. "Man
Enough" offers another soft love song with KTG's
band supporting with the instrumentation. Yudkin adds more fine
mandolin work and though not acknowledged on the list of contributing
musicians there is some haunting steel work to be heard, giving
the number heart bursting sentiment.
Karen Taylor-Good's second single release
from the album, "Angel's Wings"
written with Jason Blume is an emotionally complex piece of
writing dealing with Taylor-Good's discovery that her mother has
Alzheimer's disease. KTG states "It's been more than 20
years since I was a recording artist, and this one song is my
reason for coming back." While taking a lonely friend to
task for having an unrealistic view of love KTG gives some
no-nonsense advice to the lovelorn with her latest mandolin
driven single "Love Is A Verb".
"Bless His Heart" has a
great line "he's a skunk sucking pig - Bless His
Heart!!!" With this track we get a perfect insight of how
the southern women can make the most insulting remarks while
sounding all sweet as honey when said with that southern drawl…Bless
Her Heart!!!
The weight of lyrics and Karen Taylor-Good's
striking vocals commands attention and communicates well with
the listener. How Many Women comes
to it's close as Walter Suhr joins KTG first for the penultimate
track that takes a look at two homes, one in Mexico and one
in the USA "One Mile Apart".
Suhr and Taylor-Good then close this collection with a Spanish
reprise of that last track.
Graham Lees 2006
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