‘Never Gonna Please ’Em All’ declares Joanne Shaw Taylor on her latest single, from the just released new studio album, The Trouble With Love, out on Journeyman Records.
There are large sections of Joanne Shaw Taylor’s new single ‘Never Gonna Please ’Em All’ where you’d think the late Charlie Watts had sat in during a live Led Zeppelin set back in 1969. It has that aural quality, swaggering attitude, and no-nonsense English approach towards breaking the blues’ rules. As expected, the Midlands born lass delivers the goods with charismatic soul.
‘Never Gonna Please ’Em All’ proves a spirited, unapologetic declaration of independence and self-acceptance. While much of The Trouble With Love explores the relationships that shape us, this track turns that perspective inward, confronting the pressure to meet other people’s expectations and the realisation that trying to satisfy everyone often comes at the expense of being yourself.
Expanding her songwriting prowess, ‘Never Gonna Please ’Em All’ takes aim at the constant demands and contradictions placed on women, from being told to smile and speak less to feeling pressured to make themselves smaller or more agreeable. Rather than giving in, Taylor embraces the freedom of accepting that some people will never be satisfied, delivering the song’s central message with conviction and a healthy dose of defiance.
That attitude comes through in lyrics like “I turned my heartbreak, into a work of art,” a line that is said to connect the song’s message directly to her life as a songwriter. Having spent years transforming personal experiences into music, she turns the frustration of being judged and misunderstood into a celebration of individuality. The repeated refrain, “Ain’t never gonna please ’em all,” becomes an anthem of hard-earned confidence, reflecting an artist increasingly comfortable following her own instincts rather than anyone else’s expectations.
Produced by longtime collaborator Kevin Shirley (The Black Crowes, Journey, Aerosmith), The Trouble With Love is a 10-track collection wherein Joanne Shaw Taylor explores “the beautiful chaos of the human heart”, examining love in all its forms through some of her most personal and emotionally direct songwriting to date.
For more about The Trouble With Love and Joanne Shaw Taylor’s 2027 UK tour, check out our Joanne Shaw Taylor coverage.
