Taylor Sorensen: The eclectic American singer/songwriter

Wednesday 16th March 2005

American singer/songwriter TAYLOR SORENSEN spoke to Mike Rimmer.

Taylor Sorensen: The eclectic American singer/songwriter

All those who caught one of the amazing concerts during last year's Delirious? World Service tour would have been impressed with a seriously gifted warm up act, Taylor Sorensen. With the aid of just a drummer and his trusty guitar, this gritty voiced 23 year old born in Virginia and brought up in Indiana and Michigan caught the attention of the clamourous d:boy audience. Taylor's debut album 'The Overflow' for Rocketown Records is available here through Fierce! Distribution. With its wide range of sounds and musical textures, I asked the singer/songwriter what were his main influences. "Around the house, there was always good stuff playing," Taylor replied. "My dad has always been into good music, whether it was the Beach Boys or Stevie Wonder or The Who, The Doors, Eric Clapton, Cream.just a lot of that classic stuff.Led Zeppelin. Springsteen's a big influence of mine. I was never going to make pop music. I think what's interesting is the really healthy balance of the European and American stuff. I think a lot of times, in artist communities today, a lot of American roots stuff can get neglected. I think it's important that we don't forget about that stuff, don't forget about Elvis Presley, don't forget about Bo Diddley.some of those people who laid a foundation for rock and roll. Huge people like The Who or The Beatles even, for being influential in their music. I've drawn on those influences. I think a lot of people run into a problem where they have some of these influences but don't know how to make those influences their own. They go out and write different words to the same music. So that's always the challenge for me. I know that I'm influenced by U2, I know that I'm influenced by Springsteen and the Beach Boys and I know that I really love these songs. Now how do I take these influences and make them who I am not just a copy?"

Taylor became a Christian when, at the age of 12, he went to a NewSong concert. "They were playing at the place where my parents worked, so I didn't really have a choice to be there or not! Which in a way, the fact that this is where I met salvation, it's kind of hard to deny providence because I didn't really choose to be there. It's funny because it's not really the music that I'm into, or that I do now. That's the marking point. From there is where I knew alright, I'm going to take this Jesus seriously."

Taylor has some interesting views on the role of his ministry. He said, "A lot of what I talk about is saying 'Do love a lot. Put love in motion, give the Gospel, feet.' The Bible says, 'Faith without actions is futile.' I think love without actions is futile. The word and the deed of love are inseparable, you can't really pull those apart. You have to have them combined or else it's not really anything. That's why I really think the song 'Love Somebody Else' on the album sums up what it is that I am trying to say." CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.
About Mike Rimmer
Mike RimmerMike Rimmer is a broadcaster and journalist based in Birmingham.


 

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