Joanne Shaw Taylor - Diamonds In The Dirt CD reviews:

There is no shortage of ladies with soulful voices or guitarists with a great feel for Blues but very few of the former also play guitar and almost no-one of the tender years of Joanne Shaw Taylor can do either to this standard.

By any standards this is a superb album and as a follow up to her debut it realises the talent that she began to show in 2002.
That she has picked up an award as female Blues singer of the year is amply evidenced here.
She plays with a surprisingly subtle style and her voice – dark and strident with a blast of sheer emotion – has developed into a powerful weapon.

Right from the opening notes of ‘Can’t Keep Livin’ Like This’ she burns with barely restrained power but her guitar playing is fast and aggressive to match and she follows up with ‘Dead And Gone’ which has a funky riff leading into another monstrous guitar riff. Who Do You Love’ sets you up but the killer is the title track with the most soulful and subtle vocals showing off her abilities to sing it soft as well as loud before exploding into a powerful Blues rocker in ‘Let It Burn’.

You can really feel the hand of producer Jim Gaines on the tiller of this album – as he was on her debut ‘White Sugar’ – but a producer can only wring out what is already there and all the songs are Taylors along with the guitar playing and the vocals – Rick Steff offers some superb keyboard backing and the rhythm section of Steve Potts (Drums) and Dave Smith (Bass) holds it down as solidly as you like.

As the album progresses you find yourself getting more into the music and less interested in her look or her age – yes she is young and pretty but she is also pretty damn good and that makes her different to the majority of young bloods.

She is playing support to Black Country Communion at Shepherds Bush and Wolverhampton – Joanne Shaw Taylor and Joe Bonamassa on the same bill – mouthwatering.

Andy Snipper, Music-News.com

Diamonds In The Dirt is the second stunning album by spiraling blues star Joanne Shaw Taylor who is again given licence to thrill on her Fender Telecaster at Bessie Blue Studios in Tennessee with legendary producer Jim Gaines who records 10 new breathtaking original gems featuring Steve Potts on drums, Dave Smith on bass, Rick Steff on keyboards and is scheduled for release in November 2010 by Ruf Records.

Diamonds In The Dirt captures Joanne Shaw Taylor on fire with a collection of love songs expressing her hopes and fears forged from crash and burn experiences on her journey through life since her widely acclaimed debut album White Sugar.  Cue acoustic guitar and deep smoky vocals like the quiet before a storm on 'Can't Keep Living Like This' and wait for the whirlwind to follow that emanates straight from her scorching Fender Telecaster and thunderous rhythm section that simply blow you away!  Nearly two years on from her last outing and this young lady needs to get a lot off her chest as she exorcises the past with 'Dead And Gone' and sings of finding "New life in this fight" on 'Same As It Ever Was' before moving into overdrive and telling of a brave new world on 'Jump That Train' that is a real bone shaker!  'Who Do You Love' delivers some her finest guitar licks to date leading into the title track 'Diamonds In The Dirt', a love song which brings her smoky voice to the fore that is winning awards like Best British Female Vocalist at the 2010 British Blues Awards and it's fair to say adding female musician and songwriter to that accolade wouldn't be far from the truth!

Joanne Shaw Taylor attributes the heavier sound on this album largely to her now living in Detroit and 'Let It Burn' and 'World On Fire' aptly demonstrate that influence rocking you to the core with the latter using a similar baseline to the chord structure found on 'Kiss The Ground Goodbye' off her previous album White Sugar.  'Lord Have Mercy' is perhaps the defining moment here though as Taylor presses the self destruct button crying out... "I'm going down so slow" and "It's hope that deserts me" while exploding into some of the heaviest virtuoso lead guitar we have come to witness from her yet, that may provide a clue as to which direction she is heading musically... amazing stuff!  Having survived the storm... Taylor shows her acceptance of 'The World And It's Way' in a slow soulful tune that softly brings this session to a satisfying close.

Diamonds In The Dirt goes a long way to fulfilling the hype and expectation surrounding Joanne Shaw Taylor who continues to fascinate her audience by remaining natural and true to herself (which is part of her appeal), although one can't help but sense that the best is still to come and no doubt somewhere down the road she will make the cut and shine like the diamond she truly is... bring it on! 

John Stracey – Blues Connections