When the decades-old gospel recording fades into static, from which rises the first guitar chord of Taylor McCall’s Mellow War, you feel like you’re walking out of one world and into another. Or perhaps, for a moment anyway, straddling two worlds.
Born in Greenville, South Carolina, McCall quickly found his true sanctuary in the woods and on the water, and for much of his early life, stepped between the outdoors and the Sunday service. At the age of 7, he discovered his grandfather’s guitar and played with ritual secrecy until he was nearly 18. Following the release of his debut EP, Southern Heat, Taylor released his 2021 LP Black Powder Soul, which featured the title single earning recognition from Rolling Stone and American Songwriter. His songs are inspired by his father and grandfather’s sermons, the spirituality he finds in nature, and the influence of his contemporaries such as sister Rosetta Thorpe to TKTK, Johnny Cash and The Band.