Sam
Taylor Noelle is a 20-year-old singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, and her debut EP, Out of My System, was released last November. During her high school years, Noelle spent time in Nashville working on her craft — something that’s very apparent by the country influences on her otherwise soulful pop sound.
Noelle navigates the opening track, “Too Good,” with ease, thanking an old flame for opening her eyes to the fact she’s better than that. The chorus is particularly infectious, although her rapid flow on the verses is delightful as well. As Noelle cries out on the song’s bridge, the song swells to an emotion-filled final chorus that goes out with a bang. Her voice is wonderfully soulful, and the production is pure pop.
With all the momentum that “Too Good” built up, Out of My System immediately applies the brakes with “I Fall.” “Each time I fall, I give you my all. But you don’t believe that we are meant to be,” Noelle sings. She touches the heartstrings, crooning of an unrequited love with a somber and somewhat country production. Guitars twinge and drums pound in the background; on this track Noelle is less soul-pop and more country-pop a la Carrie Underwood or early Taylor Swift. While “I Fall” may not reach the heights of an Underwood or Swift cut, it’s an interesting genre change that seems to reveal Noelle as an artist that’s experimenting with her sound and fine-tuning it.
“I Fall” is a track that Noelle has spent a lot of time focusing on. “I wrote [it] by myself a few years ago,” she said. “I’ve lived with the song for a few years now because I knew I wanted to do it justice and give it the moment it deserves.” The song manages to hit the listener, as Noelle lays her emotions on the line. Compared to the rest of the EP, it is obvious that this is a few years old; it’s also proof that Noelle is getting more skilled at her craft with time.
“Won’t Waste My Time” has Noelle carefully combining the best bits of “Too Good” and “I Fall.” There’s more country-pop influences, but Noelle’s soulful voice gets more of a workout with “Won’t Waste My Time” than on “I Fall.” It’s superb to hear her hit her high notes, all full of splendid emotion.
As Out of My System draws to a close, “Covers Me” paints a beautiful picture with its lyrics. “The sun goes down to the emerald sea, it’s the way I drown so easily…Your love covers me.” The gentle, twinkling instrumental adds a lovely effect, especially between verses. It sounds like a beautiful lullaby, Noelle holding her true love and falling into a dream come true.
Out of My System is certainly a cathartic experience for Taylor Noelle, as she tackles different emotions through a musical outlet. Thankfully for her listeners, they’re able to join her for the highs and lows, and Out of My System has some good tunes to accompany both the highs and lows of life.
Purchase Out of My System on iTunes. Connect with Taylor on Facebook and Twitter.
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