New Music Critique: Doreen Taylor

There’s no question that Doreen Taylor can sing. Whether on the aching, anguished “Over” or the sweetly inspirational “Unstoppable” or the triumphant “You & Me,” this singer-songwriter shows a technical skill and range that would be the envy of many a vocalist. What’s leaving us a bit under- whelmed, then? First, the artist’s original material does her no favors. Though arranged and executed with a top-notch touch (we love the soulful guitar that mirrors the singer’s words on “Over”) there’s no escaping her lyrics’ all too frequent slide into cliché and triteness. And her voice, though perfect in pitch and diction, needs to exude more of the unbridled emotion and human vulnerability that these songs describe.