Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Immediately upon popping in the sophomore album of this Wisconsin native, one thing is obvious: she was incredibly influenced by Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. While I think Taylor's voice is more powerful, I can hear a bit of Stevie in there... I was especially impressed with the tracks Nobody Else Like You, and the title track, Bread or Water. The Fleetwood Mac influences are most obvious on these two songs, although it is evident throughout.

Other influences like Melissa Etheridge are also apparent, although they don’t come out as much. Taylor is similar to the feminist artists in that all of her songs seem to speak directly to the female audience, especially the uplifting track titled Time of the Angels. A major part of Bread or Water is the relationships between the songs. Rather than being merely a compilation of different tracks, this album flows from song to song, and tells the story of the “emotional roller coasters we all get on…and how to get off of them.” Those are Taylor’s words, and after listening to the entire album, it’s hard to argue that she didn’t achieve her goal. The only disappointment is that there are only five tracks. I want more of this rising star!

As far as the background goes, Taylor is the quintessential singer/songwriter that we have all come to know and love. Especially important is her relationship with super producer Joe Puerta, who music fans will recognize as the founding member of Ambrosia and a part of Bruce Hornsby and The Range. Alaria Taylor has co-produced her first two albums with Puerta, and I look forward to more collaborations of these two in the very near future.