Russell Taylor Goes to “War” with New Video

It’s a good time to be a “souljer”. That’s the name of Russell Taylor’s ever-growing legion of listeners. The singer-songwriter recently premiered his video for “War of Hearts”, the first single off his forthcoming album.

A few years have passed since Taylor’s Confessional (2009) breathed fresh life into the independent soul music scene, but “War of Hearts” proves it’s been worth the wait for new music from one of R&B’s most gifted vocalists and songwriters. “I have been working on this CD for over a year, and ‘War of Hearts’ was the pivotal point for me,” Taylor explains. “It was the genesis for the sound of the entire CD (War of Hearts).” Indeed, the title track is cushioned by an appealing sparseness that accentuates Taylor’s strong vocals.

Similarly, the video for “War of Hearts” draws on subtleties yet is no less commanding in style or presentation. “I’m one of those crazy emotional artists that needs to feel something in order for it to work,” Taylor laughs. “The video had to feel right. With that objective though, comes a lot of pressure. So, the first incarnation of the video was done in January just after the holiday. And after some edits, the first video didn’t feel right. So we shot again in July. That felt right. Over the course of four twelve-eighteen hour days in LA, working with director Kai Morrison, we got it done. I’m in love with it.”

Working towards a first quarter release for War of Hearts, Taylor might consider releasing a second single. “We will see how things are moving,” he says. “I have a few spot dates between now and New Year’s Eve. I come out of the box fighting in February of next year. I’m very excited to get back to performing. I’m just so lucky to do what I love, and looking forward to doing more of it!”

One thing is very certain: between now and February, Taylor will have some satisfied souljers standing by his side.