Mick Taylor: A Stone’s Throw

Former Rolling Stones guitar ace Mick Taylor steps out as a frontman on A Stone’s Throw (Cannonball Records 29113; 57:26). Flaunting the same righteously raunchy licks that fueled such Stones classics as Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed, Taylor delivers with seasoned assuredness on a set of originals and one cover, Bob Dylan’s moody “Blind Willie McTell.” As a singer, Taylor is coming from the Mark Knopfler-J.J. Cale school of the vocally challenged. But as a player, he strikes with steely abandon, particularly on the gospel-flavored slide vehicle “Losing My Faith,” the slow “Blues in the Morning” and the shuffle “Late at Night.” This one is closer to pop-rock than hardcore blues but boasts some strong playing throughout.

Originally Published June 1, 2000