Russell Taylor’s debut album, which will hopefully be with us in early 2006, will be named Somewhere In Between and it will feature songs that appeared on The Soulstar Vol. II. Russell’s currently in the studio to re-record some of the songs with a live band. Inbetween he luckily found some time to answer the questions of the notorious jazz-not-jazz interview about his recordings with the Basement Boys, his music and the struggle as an independent artist.
Q: I first heard of you on Fool For Love and the other collaborations you did with Teddy Douglas and Jay Steinhour for their Basement Boys Records imprint. Please tell me more about this part of your life.
Russell Taylor: Teddy heard me sing the first time at a mutual friend’s mother’s funeral in Baltimore, MD It was a very sad occasion, and I was asked to sing “Their eyes are on the Sparrow”. I can remember, it was cold and raining and such a horrible time, but I did what I had to do. Teddy said that he was impressed with my artistry especially considering the nature of the situation and he wanted to give me chance to see what I could do in the studio.
Q: While the songs you did with the Basement Boys are house you’re album Soulstar Vol. II is a classic soul album. Was this a consequential evolution for you to come up with a soul record? And where do you see the difference between writing/recording a house song and a soul song?
Russell Taylor: Well, I have always been a Soul/R&B artist in my mind and the Basement Boys have been known for their stirring soul and gospel tracks in the house music arena. It was not too much of a stretch to work with them. Additionally, all the tracks that I had written with them (most of them unreleased) were written with a Soul sensibility, and we just adjusted them to fit with the 125+ bpm. I don’t believe there is a difference between writing in the two genres. I believe if the energy and the sentiment is there, then you can’t go wrong. A good record is a good record, especially if it has the power to make you feel something.
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