The gently reflective tone that imbued
Maria Taylor's 2013 LP, Something About Knowing, further permeates her sixth solo effort,
In the Next Life. Having left her longtime home in the Saddle Creek stable, the erstwhile
Azure Ray songstress strikes out on her own to release this pleasantly sun-dappled set on her Flower Moon imprint. A panoply of life experience flows across
Taylor's canvas of bittersweet indie pop, changing color in subtle moves from atmospheric piano ballads like "Home" to moodier blue highway fare like "A Good Life." For the most part, the tempo trickles along at a mellow clip, spiking a bit on the slinky surf-twang of "Free Song" and slowing down on the hushed
Joshua Radin-assisted "It Will Find Me," but otherwise hanging out in her chosen midtempo sweet spot. In addition to guest vocals by
Radin,
Taylor is joined by co-producer
Nik Freitas and collaborators Louis Schefano (
Remy Zero), Morgan Nadler (
Whispertown), and
Conor Oberst, among others. "If Only," her buoyant indie folk duet with
Oberst, is another highlight with a warm, uplifting feel and a spirited string arrangement. The breezy romantic '50s pop of "Flower Moon" is another standout, with a clever but spacious arrangement. As a whole,
In the Next Life is pretty easy on the ears and largely void of any rough edges. Over time,
Taylor's music has become increasingly gentler and more introspective, and this supremely laid-back set would risk banality if she didn't sound so confident and settled. While it may not contain any real surprises, there's plenty of nuance and craft here and her beguiling voice is certainly worth spending some time with. ~ Timothy Monger