CURRENTLY ON UK TOUR AS SPECIAL GUEST TO ROBERT PLANT PRESENTS SAVING GRACE FEAT. SUZI DIAN
South Carolina’s Taylor McCall has announced the release of his new album Mellow War, which will be out February 2nd via Black Powder Soul Records/Thirty Tigers. Pre-order the album here.
The new track ‘Rest On Easy’ is also out today and is a tender tribute to those we’ve lost. McCall says, “I lost one of my best friends in the world in 2022. When you’re an artist, it only makes sense to write a song about that person. It wasn’t contrived, it just poured out of me. It was cathartic. It was therapeutic. Fritz was the inspiration for this.”
‘Rest On Easy’ follows the release of the album’s title track ‘Mellow War’, with both perfectly demonstrating McCall’s spellbinding and unique mix of blues-fuelled Americana. Watch the video for ‘Mellow War’ here and listen to the track here.
“’Mellow War’ is the song that started the whole record,” says McCall. “It’s about my grandpa and the battles I envision he dealt with while he was overseas. It’s hard to explain because these things mean different things to me every day. One day it means one thing and another day it means something else entirely. Ultimately what I think of the song is meaningless, it’s whatever it means to the listener and hopefully it is something that impacts their life in a positive way. That’s why I do music, to bring peace, healing and love to the world.”
The new album itself is a homage to McCall’s late grandfather who features on the album’s cover and whose input on McCall is invaluable. His first memory of music comes from his grandfather’s guitar that was stashed under the bed and was later gifted to him. “The smell of its age I can still remember to this day.” You can also hear his grandfather opening the album and singing a gospel on ‘Sinking Sand’.
“Mellow War pays homage to my late grandpa. My grandpa went to Vietnam. The album cover is him in Vietnam. The video for this song is from the war in Vietnam. These are songs that are sort of letters to home that I imagined he might have sent. My grandpa was a life inspiration for me; it was bigger than just music. The songs are a tribute to everything he stood for and everything he taught me. It’s a way for me to share with him even when he’s in another dimension. This isn’t just about me or myself.”
McCall this month made his UK debut as a special guest on Robert Plant’s Saving Grace featuring Suzi Dian tour. He also played a triumphant headline show at London’s Troubadour, following in the footsteps of some of the greatest guitarists and songwriters who performed at the legendary venue early in their career.
Across the tour, McCall has been playing tracks off the forthcoming album as well as many from his debut album Black Powder Soul, which features the singles ‘Red Handed’, ‘So Damn Lucky’ and ‘Highway Will’, of which Rolling Stone praised, “a brooding debut…spooky percussion and a vocal rumble reminiscent of Johnny Cash’s version of ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’.”
McCall has built a strong fanbase since discovering his voice in his late teens and at age 17, the songs that he put together for his debut EPs were testament to his talent as both musician and songwriter: with ‘Jericho Rose’, ‘Quartermaster’, ‘Waccamaw Drive’, ‘The Devil Wants To Dance Again’, being captivating tracks garnering his 26 million plays to date.
In the years since, the South Carolina native and avid outdoorsman and fisherman has crafted a sound that effortless matches his unique musicianship with his powerful and resonating voice. Mellow War serves a testament to this, and that McCall possess a depth of character that transcends his age and a soul beyond his years.
Artwork courtesy of Thirty Tigers
Remaining November Tour Dates with Robert Plant presents Saving Grace
19th – Grimsby, Auditorium
20th – Gateshead, Sage
22nd – Bradford, St Georges
23rd – Stoke On Trent, Victoria Hall
25th – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
