Her most recent UK tour just put to bed, British blues rock artist Joanne Shaw Taylor is declaring it’s ‘Hell Or High Water’ on her latest single out now through Journeyman Records.
“‘Hell Or High Water’ is a defiant, soul-bearing blues/gospel anthem about surviving the war inside your own head and refusing to give in,” said the singer/guitarist, then summarising it thus: “It’s about resilience and self-belief even in the hardest of times.”
The video to ‘Hell Or High Water’, Joanne Shaw Taylor’s latest single, is pretty awesome for someone who’ll testify before a live audience that she’s not into making them. Medieval biblical pageantry screens across stained glass church windows on high, cuts to Taylor in rock chick black leather walking down a main street, then proceeds to flash back and forth between lit candles fighting an uncanny breeze and the lady herself strumming a resounding acoustic guitar. For those of us who come from deep in Taylor’s heartland, we ponder if the white marble Virgin Mary statue is some visual statement that draws comparison to the cold black one of Lucifer that greets you up the staircase to Birmingham’s Museum & Art Gallery. Either way, the viewer’s drawn in.
As she begins singing, the pounding of acoustic and gospelised humming builds tension. Then 44 seconds in, an electric guitar joins and the tension mounts as she sings “Devil on my shoulder keeps whispering in my ear”. With an unrelenting catchy thrust, the music provides a strong template to her vocal refrains as she explores dark emotional threads, questioning faith and self-belief, then whacks out a brief torrid and tumultuous guitar solo that knocks you for six before choral voices conclude the piece.
This single release follows a prolific and creatively rich period for Taylor. Aside from her recent UK tour, in the past year she’s released her Black & Gold album along with a Deluxe Edition that features stripped-back acoustic versions of fan favourites including ‘Hold Of My Heart’, ‘Grayer Shade Of Blue’, and ‘Black & Gold’.
‘Hell Or High Water’ offers a first glimpse into a new slate of material Taylor plans to unveil over the coming year. While stylistically rooted in the blues traditions that have defined her career, the song reflects an artist continuing to push herself emotionally and creatively, leaning into vulnerability while maintaining the strength that has become her hallmark.
You can stream ‘Hell Or High Water’ on all platforms and check out the video below.
