The Trouble With Love Shows Joanne Shaw Taylor's Songwriting Coming Into Its Own
Joanne Shaw Taylor has spent much of her career earning recognition as a formidable blues-rock guitarist. Her latest album, The Trouble With Love, offers another reason to pay attention: the development of her songwriting. The 10-track collection places relationships, personal identity, and hard-earned perspective at the center of an album that makes effective use of her musical versatility.
Released October 23 through Journeyman Records, the album reunites Taylor with producer Kevin Shirley, whose extensive credits include Aerosmith, Journey, and The Black Crowes. Their longstanding working relationship provides the foundation for a project that moves between blues, rock, soul, and Americana.
The album's title suggests romantic difficulty, and there is certainly plenty of it. "The Trouble With Love," featuring Joe Bonamassa, considers the intoxicating and sometimes irrational pull of romance. "Bad Boy" explores the attraction of a relationship that promises excitement while carrying the possibility of real damage.
But Taylor is equally interested in what happens after the initial attraction fades. "Tired Of Being Right" examines the frustration of recognizing another person's shortcomings while remaining emotionally invested. "The Girl That You Loved Before" introduces the additional complication of time, exploring how memories of a relationship can preserve an outdated version of someone.
Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen
These are useful distinctions. Rather than returning repeatedly to a single expression of heartbreak, Taylor approaches relationships through different stages of experience. The songs concern desire, disappointment, resignation, and the eventual recognition that personal growth sometimes requires leaving familiar patterns behind.
The presence of Orianthi on "What Good Is My Love?" is one of the album's notable collaborations. Both musicians have established themselves through distinctive guitar playing, but the song's emotional premise is what gives their pairing its purpose. Its account of unreturned affection fits naturally into the larger narrative.
The album also makes room for perseverance. "Hell Or High Water" employs a blues-gospel arrangement to address determination and self-belief, offering a change of perspective from the uncertainty of the romantic material. Taylor's version of Celeste's "This Is Who I Am" similarly emphasizes self-acceptance, an idea that recurs throughout the record.
"Never Gonna Please 'Em All" develops that thinking into an explicit rejection of outside expectations. Its criticism of the contradictory demands placed on women gives the song a social dimension while remaining connected to the album's personal concerns. The official video accompanies its release as the record's latest single.
Perhaps the most revealing track, however, is "You And Me (Rachel's Song)." Written for Taylor's best friend, it acknowledges the importance of a relationship built on loyalty and shared history. Within an album frequently concerned with emotional uncertainty, the song offers a different understanding of love, one rooted in consistency rather than romantic intensity.
Taylor's career began attracting international attention when Dave Stewart of Eurythmics discovered her at 16 and invited her to tour. Multiple Billboard Blues Albums chart-toppers followed, along with recognition from established musicians across blues and rock.
Those achievements provide context, but The Trouble With Love is best appreciated through its songs. Taylor's guitar remains a defining part of her musical identity, yet the record's most compelling quality is her willingness to explore complicated feelings without reducing them to familiar blues-rock formulas.
The album is available for streaming and physical purchase. More information about Taylor and her upcoming tour can be found at joanneshawtaylor.com.
