'Never Winter Mind EP - Part One' - Steve Bennett

With 2 albums already behind her, this up and coming York-based singer-songwriter offers up an EP of five short tracks including a brave, but quietly affecting cover of 'She's Leaving Home', which provides an intriguing snapshot of a potentially widescreen talent.

Backed by minimal string and percussion accompaniment, and her own gently finger-picked acoustic, there's a faint echo of Linda Thompson in the tremulous warmth and purity of a voice that's immediately engaging, especially on the carefree, tigger-ish bounce of 'Beautiful Days'.

Taymar clearly has the raw materials - both vocally and in the strength of her assured compositional skills - to make a big name for herself. Let's hope she gives us a deeper insight into the bigger picture soon.

'Before I Know'

I keep frowning at people who play minimalistic folk(ish) music. I’m full of complaints and criticism, and sometimes I think I’m not fair at all. It must be hard to create something new and eye catching in this genre. But then I heard Holly Taymar and I decided that my first impression was right. This girl, unlike others, is capable to turn you into a mindless, besotted fan of her. She is so charming it occasionally makes me want to runaway. Half her songs, by all means, ought to be boring, but instead are cute and touching. It is really confusing, because I have no idea how she does that.

But the best part is her jazz songs. Combining jazz with folk: instant awesome. Doing it right: you have my everlasting devotion. Don’t ever change.

'I’ll be keeping at least one ear out for her, possibly two – she’s that good...'

Holly Taymar follows up her debut album 'Waking Up Is Hard To Do' (2009) with the enigmatically titled, 5 track EP 'Never Winter Mind - Part One'. It's a beautifully understated collection of four originals, plus a splendid reading of The Beatles' 'She's Leaving Home'. There are elements of the wispy pop that hallmarks Eddi Reader, and the traditional styled vocal nuances of Kate Rusby in Taymar's excellent vocal delivery. Deceptively simple melodies on acoustic guitar, with added musical colour coming from judicious use of banjo, mandolin, cajon and violin, results in a sound that embraces singer-songwriter and pop sensibilities, yet is imbued with something entirely her own.

That I can live right down the road from Holly’s home town of York but still need the Glastonbury competition to introduce me to her work is disappointing. I should have been on this a while back. Her sweet voice and ear for a tune shine over delicate, minimalist but always beautifully pitched instrumentation. Whether it’s the bright, breezy sound of ‘Beautiful Days’, the slower ‘Toes’, or the dreamy sound of ‘For The Sake of It’, Holly and her band produce a lovely sound I’d like to hear more of.

One of the most distinctive voices in the Yorkshire area, York-based singer-songwriter Holly Taymar follows her second full-length album WAKING UP IS HARD TO DO with this five-song EP, featuring four self-penned songs and just the one cover - and what a cover - the heart-wrenching She's Leaving Home from the celebrated Sergeant Pepper album.

With partner Chris Bilton providing some mandolin, banjo and various bits of percussion and Anne-Marie McStraw sitting in on violin, Holly's beautifully soothing voice and delicate guitar playing once again brings to life another bunch of thoroughly melodic songs. Never happier than when sitting on a stool, performing in front of people, Holly continues to write songs that are often thoughtful, sometimes whimsical, yet always easy on the ear, usually about relationships, stuff in the garden and the ever-changing seasons. With the suitably titled Four, the fourth song on the EP, Holly even gets uncharacteristically angry and we all get out of the way for a minute.

Whilst Beautiful Days comes just in time for Spring, providing a nice soundtrack to accompany the end of one heck of a miserable winter with some timely optimism, the utterly gorgeous She's Leaving Home is arranged to exclude some of McCartney's maternal and paternal moaning, leaving us with the pure beauty of possibly McCartney's most beautiful song, yes, and that includes Yesterday and that one with the bagpipes on it.

With long time collaborator Carl Hetherington at the controls, the NEVER WINTER MIND (PART ONE) EP may bring Holly's music to a wider audience and deservedly so. Why Holly Taymar is not a household name is still a mystery to me, but fortunately, it is in our house.

Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky

Artist:Holly Taymar
Album:Waking Up Is Hard To Do
Label:GenieCake
Tracks:11
Website:http://www.hollytaymar.com/

I first came across Holly Taymar in York one night doing one of the three showcase support spots for visiting Americans Rod Picott and Amanda Shires. I was knocked out by her songs then and I've continued to watch her progress with keen interest. I think this is because Holly sings the sort of songs I like. I've always been more interested in songs about everyday mundane subjects such as waking up in a morning, not being able to feel ones toes of a frosty morning or cutting down old bushes that have outstayed their welcome. The interesting thing about these songs though, is not the actual subject itself, but how Holly manages to transform such wistful thoughts into such beautiful songs.

A few of the songs here have been tried out and tested on audiences in the ensuing months since I first saw her that night in the Basement Bar, and to have them finally down on disc for posterity is a good thing indeed. Joining Holly on this collection of songs is regular guitar player Carl Hetherington who was also responsible for production, piano and 'random percussion etc.', with other contributions from Mark Mellack and Dave Hartley. On stage Holly and Carl remind me of 'Hokey Pokey' period Richard and Linda Thompson, with Carl hunched over his guitar whilst Holly delivers each song with no small measure of confidence and an abundance of self assurance.

"Toes" stands out as another one of Holly's gems, alongside "Home" from her previous album 'Before I Know', which incidentally has been generously handed out at gigs as a free supplement to the current CD, being the best bargain since Radiohead started flogging their albums for, oh you know, whatever. A beautiful song in its own right, "Toes" is given a tasteful arrangement with additional piano and glockenspiel, which adds to the gentle ambience of the song. There's no clutter on 'Waking Up Is Hard To Do' in terms of over-arrangement or over-instrumentation, it's all pleasantly balanced to bring these songs to life in the way they were intended.

With yet another nod to her home, Holly has packed her new collection of songs into a sleeve featuring a cover photograph showing a housing estate in York, with a contemplative Holly seated at the bottom of a bed, whilst her musical companion stands in the distance, resting his guitar upon his shoulder; both seemingly lost in thought. The songs on this album have the same sort of dreamy quality. An absolutely delightful album, which should be filed next to your James Taylors and Jonis.

Allan Wilkinson

Since 2005's Less Than Nothing, Holly's life has changed somewhat. Following the death of her close friend Steve Hartley and her leaving home, she has thrown herself into her music and produced ten tracks of a slightly more savvy nature.

"Where will I go?" she asks imploringly at the beginning of 'Home' before embarking on a journey through jazz, folk and all points blues. Her playing is relaxed, soothing and seductive, while her voice possesses an unassuming versatility that conjures up the heartbreak of Julianne Regan, the bounce of Katie Melua and easy-on-the-ear blues of Bailey-Rae. I'm not sure about her trying to rewrite 'Stairway To Heaven' on 'Went To War,' but this is a good sipping album, locally brewed, that showcases Holly's talents beautifully and blends the twin allures of nostalgia and innocence with just a hint of experience. Serve with a summer day, when it finally stops raining.

Rob Wright

I have trawled through numerous, turgid, raw and badly produced demos in my time but this is not one of them. This is a finely polished, stripped down, low-key gem, combining elements of Jazz and Folk with startling effects.

Holly has produced a charming, spectacularly refined and delicately feminine package that provides an unpretentious and positive insight into her world. The more hard-faced, too cool for school, testosterone fuelled journo could dismiss this outing as middleclass dinner party coffee table pap but if you disregard the obvious comparisons to her stigmatised mainstream Jazz contemporaries, then you actually get a whole lot more for your money.

From the eastern inflected “Indian Sky” to the wistful lullaby “Getting Ready for No One” you are treated to an absorbing, warm and beautiful vista, free from cynicism. After a night of belligerent, tinnitus inducing Indie-Rock, this is exactly what you need to put on your stereo, an understated aural delight to soothe and repair your Eustachian tubes.

Holly has laid solid foundations on the strength of this release but now needs confidence and determination to diversify and develop her sound to push her to the forefront of the music scene.

Jim Flanagan

Nearly all previous reviews of Holly Taymar both live and on disc peg her firmly in the Cullum/Melua/Jones jazz camp – aural honey to some, musical axis of evil to others – and while jazz is her stated preferred style, the label does her music a bit of a disservice. Indeed, the strongest moments on this 6 tracker are when she’s being the least jazz, and more folksy, accompanied by her guitar playing alone.

“Indian Sky” has a superb, atmospheric guitar figure, and “Getting Ready for No One” is a simple, tender song with an excellent lyrical twist. Another pleasing aspect of her music is her lyrical portrayal of quirky, simple, everyday vignettes, a very English approach that stays just the right side of saccharine. “Shoes” is, not surprisingly, a series of memories triggered by a scuffed old pair of shoes, and the short, almost a capella “Lady” a scene from a café….

There’s much to enjoy here, and encouragingly, nearly all of this is self-penned. This is limited to 100 copies, with sleeves hand-painted by the lass herself, so get it while you can.

Tim Procter

For the afternoon concert, we enjoyed a ladies day which was opened by the delightful singer/songwriter Holly Taymar who was accompanied by the very skilled Christopher Bilton. Holly hails from the city of York so she is almost a local girl – she is also most certainly a rising star. She says her music sits somewhere between folk and jazz but her delightful voice pleased our folky audience and her “crazy, zany� personality was utterly charming and endeared her to the audience, captivating them absolutely.

Highlight of the afternoon for me was Holly Taymar with, as always, Chris Bilton helping out on percussion, guitar and mandolin. This singer songwriter is just awesome and her bubbly infectious personality always shines through, along with her incredible talent. Having recently been interviewed on Radio 2, this accomplished musician deserves your attention.

John Illingworth

Opening the Saturday afternoon concert with a delightful set of self-penned songs was York-based singer songwriter Holly Taymar, who appears to be just as comfortable opening an afternoon festival concert as closing late night basement bars in York. There's a tangible warmth to a Holly Taymar performance wherever she plays; who appears to be at ease with both folk and jazz audiences alike and who draws from the influences of James Taylor and Carole King. With relative ease, Holly matches her peers measure for measure and the only reason I can think of as to why Holly is still doing opening and support spots around York, is that she is still going through the tiresome process of waiting for people to catch up.

The next act is Holly Taymar who I last saw last year playing in session at the BBC studio's for Matt Seymour's More Raw show. Back then I was blown away by the voice that came from such a young lady. Tonight she excels herself again leaving me both stunned and moved, along with the rest of the audience. She begins her set with 'Dream a little dream' by Mama Cass. Her voice glides beautifully and effortlessly, sending a shiver of goose bumps throughout all who stare on in awe. Her next track is Britney Spears 'Toxic' more recently covered on the Mark Ronson album 'Version'. The cover is superb, her vocal seductive and flawless throughout. She ends her set with two Carole King numbers 'Will you still love me tomorrow?' and 'I feel the earth move'. It's hard to believe that somebody so young can perform the tracks with the such maturity but again as she dreamily strums away, sat on her stool the melodies pour out of her so naturally. A carefully chosen set which compliments her magnificent voice.

I've been impressed by Holly Taymar's strong voice and natural stage charm before, but tonight her music matches. She shifts breezily between straight ahead folk and jaunty jazz, she takes domestic vignettes like having sod all to do or a favourite pair of old shoes and makes them thoroughly engaging. 'Indian Sky's' Eastern-tinged picking is stunning (and she's injured a finger too!)

Bravely, she stands up and does an a cappella number. She goes down a storm.

The Last Drop Inn seems to be York's spiritual home for chilled out blues and soul as well as York's top acoustic talent, and so its no surprise to see one of the region's most prodigious talents, Holly Taymar, playing on the pub's Tuesday night live music slot. Although her music is perfectly suited to the venue, that doesn't mean tonight is going to be easy for her. Her keyboardist George seems intent on spoiling the mood with one of the most ghastly Hawaian shirts I've
ever had the misfortune to lay my eyes on, and only three songs in she gets herself hit in the face by her own microphone, courtesy of a clumsy gentleman attempting to get past her to the upstairs toilet.

Holly's response to this is as cool as her music, simply giggling and saying "wow, that’s the closest I’ve ever come to a bar-brawl", before carrying on where she left off. Its enough to make everyone in the entire pub think twice before going to the toilet, and taking extreme caution once nature's call gets a little too loud. As for the music, its still fantastic, taking in a range of styles from Jazz to Blues to Hip-Hop, with Holly at times sounding Shirley Bassey-esque in style and showmanship. There’s also a more obvious comparison to be made with Joss Stone during the more hip-hop numbers.
There's experimental stuff in the set too. A song written the day before, with no instruments other than Holly's microphone-tapping percussion, gets an airing, as do a few songs still called 'Untitled' which are said to be on the next album - also going under the name 'Untitled' at the moment.

The gig offers exactly what you'd expect from a Holly Taymar. The music and musicianship are professional and there’s enough audience interaction to make the audience feel part of the event. There’s also extra marks to be had too for using a tub of rock salt as percussion and for playing a song called 'Trolley Taymar'.

liam o’brien