Overlook

VINYL FORMAT. Comes with a copy of the album on CD. Maria Taylor has been beguiling listeners since 1997, from her start in Little Red Rocket as a teenager to her time as half of the acclaimed duo Azure Ray to her career as a solo artist. After buying her first house and settling in, Taylor found herself unable to write any songs for an entire year. Concerned, but busy with touring and promotion around Azure Ray's new album, she carried on. Then, during a month-long break, she finally wrote a song – the ruminative and haunting "Happenstance" – and the floodgates opened. Taylor hid away in her bedroom for two weeks, writing and demo-ing the nine songs that make up Overlook. With a distinct, raw sound in mind, Taylor self-produced for the first time and called upon friend Lester Nuby III to engineer. She sought to capture the sound of the South, of Alabama and its music scene, enlisting a host of local musicians to flesh out the album and lend their personalities to the songs. The sessions ran loose and easy, with friends and family often stopping in and spending time as she recorded. Much of Overlook is about the searching and uncertainties that come with growing up and growing older. The songs vary in sound from alluringly bold and immediate, and softer contemplation.