Julian Taylor doubles down on his Dedication to love in his romantically rocking new single and video — showcasing today on Tinitist.
The award-winning Toronto singer-songwriter latest track — and the first single from his upcoming LP Anthology II — is a song born from real love and persistence. “Whether that’s in love, in life, or in your passion, this song is a declaration of that kind of wholehearted commitment,” says Taylor.
With a laid-back pace and a rise-and-fall melody in the verses, and a chorus with a more hard-hitting approach, Dedication sounds like something Lenny Kravitz and The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft might come up with if they wrote a song together. Recorded with Taylor’s U.K. touring band — Michelle Stodart on bass, Raevennen Husbandes on guitar, and Siân Monaghan on drums — Dedication moves from delicate, catchy electric guitar parts to crunchy power chords, and benefits from compelling vocal harmonies throughout. As befits Taylor’s consistent lyrical approach, the song is about moving through the world, and relationships, with the intention to increase love.
“Creating this piece was exceptionally fun,” says Taylor. “It was a song originally written a few years back around 2012 and it was given new life when I was in the U.K. while doing some shows with these three incredible musicians. On a whim we decided to jump into a studio in London on our day off. This is what we recorded and it was truly a remarkable experience that brought us all closer together.”
Taylor has been part of the musical fabric and landscape in Canada for two decades. He enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2020, when his second solo acoustic album, The Ridge, earned more than five million streams, praise from press worldwide, and airplay from America to Australia to the U.K. Loaded with soulful Americana and country twang, the album was produced by Taylor and Saam Hashemi, and was recorded at The Woodshed in Toronto. In addition to winning Taylor Solo Artist Of The Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards, The Ridge was also nominated for two Juno Awards (Contemporary Folk Album Of The Year, Indigenous Artist Or Group Of The Year), the Polaris Prize Long List, a Summer Solstice Indigenous Award, a Canadian Music Week INDIES Award, and a Canadian Folk Music Award. The nominations and awards kept coming in 2022, with Taylor winning best male artist in the International Acoustic Music Awards and scoring five Native American Music Award nominations. In 2023, Taylor received a nomination in the Country Music Association of Ontario Awards, and another Juno nomination, in the Contemporary Indigenous Artist Of The Year category.
Taylor’s versatility as a songwriter is signature; one minute he’s onstage playing with his band spilling out electrified rhythm and blues glory, and the next he’s featured at a folk festival delivering a captivating solo singer-songwriter set. Formerly with the band Staggered Crossing, he has released 12 studio albums since 2001. His songs have been heard in multiple Canadian and American TV shows. He’s toured North America countless times, sharing the stage with Serena Ryder, Blue Rodeo, William Prince, AHI, Rodney Crowell, Keb’ Mo’. He has performed at the Festival d’Été de Quebec, the Mariposa Folk Festival, Summerfolk, Ottawa BluesFest, Winnipeg Folk Festival and more, including not one but two Olympic Games.
Watch the video for Dedication above, hear more from Julian Taylor below, and connect with him on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
