LadyLuck

iTunes Review

Artists frequently use their solo albums to express their downturns. Serving much the function of a diary, LadyLuck, Maria Taylor’s third solo album, is the sound of a young singer-songwriter working her way past the remnants of a now-gone relationship. It begins simply enough with the plaintive, acoustic title track, a mournful and ominous introduction that imagines a songwriter dipping her toe in the water before fully immersing herself with the second track, “Time Lapse Lifeline,” which ratchets up the drama. The strings begin sawing with genuine tension, the drums offer a solid, unforgiving wallop, and the vocals chant in syncopated frustration. Hopes and dreams dissipate and an edgy folk-pop replacesmuch of the electronic elements of her previous works, though “A Chance” benefits from its added synth pulses. “It’s Time,” “100,000 Times,” and “Green Butterfly” refuse to rest, picking up the pace and balancing out the beautiful mood pieces, “My Favorite Love” and “Broad Daylight.” Appropriately enough, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe adds his recognizable harmonies to “Cartoon and Forever Plans,” ushering in Taylor as a new generation’s folk-rocker.