Otis Taylor - Definition Of A Circle (CD)

All Music Guide

In many cases, modernday blues artists merely ape the blues masters of yesteryear following the blueprint to a T. So it is truly a breath of fresh air when Otis Taylor releases a new album, such as 2007's Definition of a Circle. Sure, there are elements of modernday bluesrock detected (namely, the inclusion of guest guitarist Gary Moore on certain tunes), but Taylor is not stuck to the instruments that are usually associated with bluesrock. Case in point, such tunes as "Black's Mandolin Boogie," "Maharaja Daughter," and "Mexican Cowboy," which utilize such instruments as banjo, mandolin, electric cello, cornet, lap steel, etc. That said, there are several tunes that would certainly fit comfortably in the "modernday bluesrock" category, including "Love and Hesitation" and "Something in Your Back Pocket" (which showcase Moore's electric guitar talents), as well as tunes such as "Little Betty" and "They Wore Blue," which fit somewhere between the two aforementioned approaches. Otis Taylor is one of the few modernday bluesmen that manages to avoid stylistic clichés, as heard throughout Definition of a Circle.

- Greg Prato, All Music Guide