Sometimes an artist just creeps up on you. You’re not quite sure why, but you’re compelled to circle back to their tracks. And over the past several months, the singer/songwriter Teyana Taylor has decidedly been in my rear view mirror.
Taylor, who was born and raised in Harlem, was initially signed by Pharrell Williams to his Star Trak label at just age 17, but later moved to Kanye West’s GOOD MUSIC imprint after providing vocals on West’s album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. She first appeared on my radar with the release last year of her superb mixtape The Cassette Tape 1994, a tribute to her 90’s influences, which started me down a rabbit hole of her other music, most notably her debut full-length album, VII, released in 2014. Which in turn brought me to Taylor’s instant classic, “Just Different,” from that record.
The atmospherics of this track just never get old: The slinky, spidery electric guitar lines, the slow, finger-snapping, head-nodding groove, all topped by Taylor’s rich, sweet and salty vocal.
She creates a world that you don’t want to leave. This is an artist to keep your eye on, SoulTrackers. She has the magic.
By Robb Patryk
