Maria Taylor – Lynn Teeter Flower

Having first garnered attention with Azure Ray and then her 2005 solo debut 11:11, Maria Taylor reaches full bloom on Lynn Teeter Flower, though it’s a gracefully understated beauty. Foremost is Taylor’s innate sense for beguiling melodies, which she weaves into songs both simple and complex in their arrangements. “No Stars” blends multiple guitars and keyboards into a dynamic, sweeping wash that balances fragility with urgency, while the opening “Good Start” grooves to just the right subtle touch of electronica-styled bounce. The best cut of all, though, is the least adorned. “Clean Getaway” features only guitar and vocals, yet carries the impact of Nick Drake’s best work with its intimate portrait of someone on the rebound looking back regretfully at what might have been. When she sings, in the second verse, about meeting someone new and how “It felt just like love/Except no fear of losing and it wasn’t tough,” the depth of what she lost is fully understood. The disc closes with its title track, a home recording of Taylor as a child that comes across as overly precious, an indulgence better left untapped. The rest, though, is mesmerizing.