‘You Probably Saved My Life’ by New Memphis Colorways | New EP, ‘Let The Mystery Be’
Exclusive track premiere of ‘You Probably Saved My Life’ by New Memphis Colorways, taken from the upcoming EP, ‘Let The Mystery Be,’ out in October.
Fresh off the heels of a wildly experimental instrumental project called MEM_MODS, made in collaboration with Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) and Steve Selvidge (The Hold Steady), Grammy-nominated Memphis musician Paul Taylor presents indie-pop EP ‘Let The Mystery Be’ as New Memphis Colorways. Trying to easily define the man can be downright perplexing. Known in his hometown of Memphis (and now Door County, WI, his new home since 2020) not only for backing up myriad artists as a first call multi-instrumentalist secret weapon/utility knife and one stop shop production house; but also deeply revered for having the highest level of tasteful musicianship on multiple instruments (guitar/drums/bass/keys) and crafting his own endearingly unique genre-defying original songs. Accordingly, the name New Memphis Colorways suits his varied career and also salutes the city that made him.
Yet for all of this eclecticism, his songwriting most often draws comparisons to left-of-center pop stylists such as Alex Chilton, Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell and Elliot Smith; with his new EP, ‘Let The Mystery Be,’ he serves up an astonishing 15 minutes that sounds more like what would’ve come out had John Lennon ingested/digested a heavy diet of Prince and Aphex Twin and then cranked out a modern EP of positive hopeful future funk.
He’s toured and recorded as a drummer with the likes of Dave Shouse (Grifters), Robert Ellis, Chuck Prophet, Ann Peebles, Shelby Bryant (The Clears/Cloud Wow Music) and Amy LaVere. He was the first bassist in the earliest incarnation of The North Mississippi Allstars. He did time as a sideman for legendary Memphis guitar phenoms Eric Gales and Shawn Lane. He himself has also played dazzling guitar on records by everyone from Van Duren to The PRVLG. Taylor initially cut his teeth on Beale Street playing jazz and blues (as a drummer, bassist, and guitarist no less) with the likes of beloved Memphians Charlie Wood, Calvin Newborn, Honeymoon Garner, Reba Russell and The Gamble Brothers. He’s also a GRAMMY-nominated washtub bassist, and scored an Emmy nom for film score work.
Trying to pin down his songwriting style and put his solo records into any category at all, is like trying to catch the wind. ‘Old Forest Trail’ (2015) was an acoustic mediation on the passing of his father; followed by ‘Old Forest Loop’ (2018), a garage funk record; followed by ‘The Music Stands’ (2020), a slept-on modern Memphis power pop masterpiece; followed by ‘It Is What It Isn’t’ (2021) — a straight up funk freak-out fusion instrumental record
Paul adds, “This new EP draws on a lifetime of study under Memphis master musicians and songwriters, but is inspired by my new environs of Door County, WI- where the visage of a frozen Green Bay, giant ice shoves and bright endless sunsets make this southern boy feel like he’s living in the movie Tron. Also having been schooled in songcraft by my now legendary power pop songwriting stepfather Richard Orange- this is a return to short succinct pop song formats. Minimal verses, tight hooky choruses,and fun beats! All five songs clock in under 3:30, a personal record in brevity for me, which is revelatory as my older efforts often followed a more meandering approach. This is way more direct and digestible. I hope this music lifts you up and gets you moving!”
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