Releasing what is their 5th full length album to date, this talented quartet of musical young men from Elkin, NC, who call themselves Time Sawyer, leave us audibly pleased yet again. Their newest CD, “Disguise the Limits” is reassuringly solid vocally, stellar musically and in the traditional Time Sawyer style, lyrically astute.
This band of four musical pals; Sam Tayloe (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Kurt Layell, (guitar, vocals), Houston Norris (banjo), and Clay Stirewalt, (drums), have matured, certainly, in all ways, since their first release, “Time For a Change” just four years ago. The new album seems to concentrate more on moving on from loss, broken heartedness and the realization of the dangers of the munedaneness that life can become, of which we can all relate, whereas previous works have focused more on love, letting go and finding home.
Reflecting that maturity, the tracks are mostly of a serious nature, with the exception of a few, such as the rowsing “Appalacian Bound”, the blood pulsing, sultry, tragic tale of “210” and the toe tapping, yet vocally scathing “Best Be Going”. The first single to be released from this album is “A Little Bluer”. An upbeat little ditty, one cannot help but sway to the rythym and sing along. One of my favorite songs of all time is the closing rack on the album, “Tired of this Tired”. A very telling, relateable song, it is explained and examined in more detail in Jody Mace’s interview with Sam as part of her “One Song’ series in relation to her Common Chord Concert Series. (http://www.commonchordconcerts.com/sam-tayloe-of-time-sawyer-talks-about-tired-of-this-tired/) Sam Tayloe’s vocals still retain that unique gravelly quality, occasionally cracking on those certain higher notes. I am glad to hear this, as the fear remains that this group could very easily fall into that dangerous trap of ‘prettying up” their music too much once in the studio.
With thirteen tracks, “Sweet Marie” being a bonus track, Time Sawyer has nailed it once again with “Disguise the Limits”. These are songs the listener will find themselves compelled to turn to again and again for the reassurance of the vocals, the talent of the insturmentation and because the album is just that good.
