The first thirty seconds of an album say a lot about the artist. It’s those welcoming opening chords and the first introduction to the vocals that give a discerning listener a stay or pass.
Texas singer-songwriter Nick Taylor’s debut album Not Alone falls into the latter category, where well-worn gritty vocals, brooding openheartedness, and incisive songwriting make one stick around for the full ten songs. Taylor’s voice falls somewhere in the realm of Americana, yet the lonesome twang will also appeal to many a fan of authentic country, ala Chris Stapleton or George Strait.
Songs like “Dead Land Future” were inspired by his agricultural work in the Austin area for a few years. He worked on farms on and off while pursuing a master’s degree, studying the loss of farmland in Texas. He also has experience in urban planning with several universities and municipalities in and around the area. All of this experience informs his songwriting and shows up in the ten narrative tracks that ruminate on depth and picturesque stories.
Produced by William Gawley, mixed and engineered by Bryce Roberts, mastered by Mike Monseur, and with A&R representation by Michelle Robertson, the album was recorded at OmniSound Studios in Nashville and features the cream of that city’s session personnel — drummer Wayne Killius, bassist Dave Francis, acoustic guitarist Pat McGrath, David Flint on electric, baritone, and acoustic guitars, and mandolin, Chris Nole playing piano and keys, Deanie Richardson on fiddle, James Paul Mitchell on pedal steel guitar and dobro, and Billy Thomas supplying the background vocals.
Currently based in Austin, Texas, he was drawn to making music as a child. “I was too young to remember any of it, but that’s what my mother told me,” he muses. “My first musical memory was in 5th grade when a local high school band performed for us in the school gym. It was the first time I had ever heard of an ensemble like that, and there and then, I decided I had to be part of it. All through middle school and high school, I pursued my passion, discovering jazz and the joy of singing. Later, I went on to study jazz in college, but eventually, I decided it wasn’t for me, so I dropped out of the jazz program and started teaching myself guitar.”
His first attempt at writing songs began at the age of 18, but he says it wasn’t until he turned 25 that he actually completed his first one. “It took a while, but it did give me plenty of time to find my voice, discover different styles of music, and reconnect with the country music I grew up on.”
Those seminal influences varied throughout the years, from early country icons such as Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, and Kris Kristofferson to Led Zeppelin. Later, his tastes expanded to include Charlie Parker, Frank Sinatra, Leonard Cohen, and eventually, any number of contemporary artists—among them, Jason Isbell, Nathaniel Ratliff, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. These influences shine and are authentically versed on Not Alone, where Taylor proves you don’t have to play dress up to be true Americana.
Taylor recently shared with Glide a track-by-track breakdown of each tune on Not Alone, giving us a reason to revisit the album or make it one of your essential listens over the holiday week.
Not Alone (about the album) – I decided to title the album Not Alone for a few reasons. Ultimately, the opening track, “Dogs,” but it reaches farther than that. I write my songs with the hope that they can foster a connection with listeners, whether through the lyrics or the composition, and I wanted to make sure the title conveyed that.
“Dogs” – As one of the earliest compositions I laid down for the album, it’s personal and cathartic, a reflection of the anxiety that’s been an ongoing part of my persona. Sometimes it gets particularly overwhelming, and that’s how this song was born. It speaks to uncertainty — how it manifests, how it’s perceived by others, and how it affects those around us. When we went into the studio to record it, it just came alive. It was important to me to get it out into the world. It’s the song that inspired the album title Not Alone, but more importantly, it explores topics that society tends to dismiss — especially when it comes to matters having to do with mental health, insecurity, and stability. It calls for understanding, and in that regard, my hope is that it will help anyone dealing with a similar situation feel less alone.
“Futures Past” – “Futures Past” is a song about the passage of time and the perception of progress. Often, I find myself looking at the life I’ve lived so far, feeling like nothing has changed. I’m still here, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, even though so much has happened. I wrote this song as a sanity check for myself, really, checking in on different parts of my life just to note that they happened and that I’ve made some kind of progress or moved in some direction, even though it might feel like that’s not the case.
“3am on the Interstate” – “3am on the Interstate” is a story of lost love, and the realization of that loss. I spent a lot of time in college driving up and down Texas highways in the middle of the night chasing love and I wanted to capture that feeling in a song. The story in the song is about someone chasing past love, from a different life, and fighting to stay in the present rather than attempting to live a life that’s already passed by. In that way I think it relates to more than just love and relationships.
“Dead Land Future” – This song was inspired by agricultural work I did in the Austin area for a few years. I was working on farms on and off while also pursuing a master’s degree studying the loss of farmland in Texas, among other things. This song kind of blended those two experiences. The work environment at one farm was notoriously unhealthy, and I had been wanting to write about it for some time but wasn’t sure how to go about it, so I was really happy when I finally had something put together for this one.
“Getting Along” – Is about persevering in the face of loss. The story follows a woman who finds love in the middle of the desert, starts a family, and very soon after, loses her love. This song is a response to the question, “Is it better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?”
“Kentucky Girl” – I wrote this song for my wife. When we first met, I fell in love with her almost immediately. I was worried about telling her how I felt so soon into our relationship, so I wrote a song about it. As it turned out, she felt the same; we’ve been married now for almost a year.
“Heart on the Run” – I’m a pretty stubborn person, it runs in the family. Pretty often I find myself needing help and not wanting to ask for it. This song is the compromise I came up with for myself. In a few words the song translates to the following: “I’m fine, but I could be better with your help.”
“Broken Souls” -Sometimes relationships are full of passion but unhealthy for both parties. This song is about two people stuck in a back and forth relationship that is bad for them both but which neither of them can seem to leave behind. It was really fun recording this one with the band, especially with the transition between the intro and the rest of the song.
“Carry You Home” – This song is a message to a friend, and to anyone who is feeling trapped and may be in need of a friend. Sometimes a song needs to speak for itself, I think this is one of those songs.
“Songs About the Glory” – This song started with the idea of a late night/early morning delivery driver, people I used to work with, and the idea that hard work pays off in the end. It describes a situation where someone working hard hours for years is constantly hearing these songs on the radio about the glory at the end of it all and they’re wondering when and if that will ever come for them. It’s a simple song I think but something that I and many others I think often think about while we’re trudging our respective ways through life, some more than others. Musically it was a song that I felt very free in, I often lose myself in this song when I perform it, and so it holds a special place for me in that regard, after all, isn’t music supposed to make you feel free in one way or another?
“Lover’s Dream” (bonus track) -I wrote this song in the middle of the night, in a storm, with no power, in the dark. I wrote the whole thing off the cuff as it came to me, and I really liked it. I then fell asleep, woke up in the morning and found that I had written absolutely none of it down. I still don’t know how much of the current version was in the “first draft” but I immediately rewrote it while it was still fresh in my mind, and this is what resulted. I wanted it to be a stream of consciousness type of confessional to a lover, confessing all the self-doubt and self-perceived weaknesses, but ultimately a love that was strong and enduring.
