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White African
Studio album by Otis Taylor
Released	2001
Recorded	2000
Genre	Blues
Label	NorthernBlues Music
Producer	Kenny Passarelli
Otis Taylor chronology
When Negroes Walked the Earth (1997) White African (2001) Respect the Dead (2002)

White African is an album by the American musician Otis Taylor, released in 2001. The album won Taylor a W. C. Handy Award for best new blues artist.

Production

Recorded in 2000, the album was produced by Kenny Passarelli, who also played bass. Taylor's daughter Cassie sang on the album. The album booklet contains mugshots of Black men arrested for vagrancy in Kansas in the early part of the 20th century. Taylor played a 1949 Gibson L-50 guitar.

"Saint Martha Blues" references the lynching of Taylor's great-grandfather. "Lost My Horse" is about alcoholism. "3 Days and 3 Nights" deals with the consequences of a lack of affordable medical care.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Calgary Herald
Robert Christgau
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Gazette
Ottawa Citizen
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings

Robert Christgau praised "My Soul's in Louisiana" and "Saint Martha Blues". The Gazette wrote that Taylor "draws you into the songs with riveting, trance-like rhythms that lend powerful support to his passionate, often angry, vocals." The Commercial Appeal noted that the album "ties Hooker's guitar style to socially and politically charged lyrics."

The Globe and Mail stated that "the album's minimalist trance-blues are delivered with a sparse elegance through Taylor's gruff vocals and acoustic guitar, banjo and mandolin." The Calgary Herald deemed White African "a stunning display of traditional blues in a sparse and timeless context." The Philadelphia Inquirer called Taylor "a contemporary artist who captures the stark immediacy of traditional blues while sounding like no one else."

AllMusic wrote: "Greatly influenced by John Lee Hooker, the very soulful Taylor often favors moody, dusky, haunting grooves."

Track listing

References

1. Takiff, Jonathan (6 Mar 2001). "Gritty, minimalist blues songsmith...". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 35.
2. "Otis Taylor Biography". AllMusic.
3. "Blues Singer Otis Taylor". Fresh Air. NPR.
4. Morthland, John (September 3, 2003). "Otis Taylor's spooky, hypnotic blues records". Slate.
5. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 634.
6. ^ Provencher, Norman (17 Mar 2001). "White African Otis Taylor". Ottawa Citizen. p. K4.
7. Koster, Michael (27 Oct 2000). "An Original Sound on the Scene". Albuquerque Journal. p. 2.
8. Terrell, Steve (6 Apr 2001). "Terrell's Tune-Up". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. P30.
9. Isola, Gregory (Jul 2001). "Otis Taylor". Guitar Player. Vol. 35, no. 7. pp. 56–58.
10. Gussow, Adam (March 15, 2010). Seems Like Murder Here: Southern Violence and the Blues Tradition. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-31100-5.
11. Hurst, Jeff (23 Mar 2001). "Otis Taylor White African". Cambridge Times. p. 9.
12. Miles, Milo (15 Jan 2002). "Born under a bad sign". The Village Voice. Vol. 47, no. 2. pp. 59, 61.
13. ^ "White African". AllMusic.
14. ^ Hogan, Ray (19 Apr 2001). "Otis Taylor White African". Calgary Herald. p. HL14.
15. ^ "Otis Taylor". Robert Christgau.
16. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 69.
17. ^ Regenstreif, Mike (1 Mar 2001). "Blues". The Gazette. Montreal. p. D11.
18. Ellis, Bill (30 June 2001). "John Lee Hooker's Influence Boogies On". The Commercial Appeal. p. E1.
19. Wheeler, Brad (8 Mar 2001). "White African Otis Taylor". The Globe and Mail. p. R4.
20. Christiano, Nick (8 July 2001). "Davis highlights blues releases". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H12.

• Otis Taylor (musician) albums
• 2001 albums
• NorthernBlues Music albums
• Albums produced by Kenny Passarelli