Lewis Taylor gets all the “quirky musical genius” comparisons (Scott Walker, Syd Barrett, Brian Wilson), and with his recent “retirement” from the music business, he’s probably not helping his cause. However, prior to his self-imposed musical exile, he released several albums of English white-guy soul (including Stoned, a disc that makes Jamiroquai cry in his giant hat). This week saw the re-release of The Lost Album, complete with bonus tracks, on this side of the Atlantic; the record takes a slight yacht-rock turn, but it sounds more like Prince is working the controls instead of Michael McDonald. For you packaging nerds, it might be worth picking up an actual compact disc instead of running to iTunes–Hacktone label owner David Gorman is among the best artists working in music packaging design, and he has a Grammy to show for it.

Lewis Taylor – Say I Love You [MP3, link expired]
Lewis Taylor – Let’s Hope Nobody Finds Us [MP3, link expired]
lewis taylor [lewistaylormusic.com]