British blues-rock guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor has spent much of her life turning emotion into music, from the fiery guitar solos that first won over audiences, to the deeply personal songwriting on her new album, The Trouble With Love.
With a fall tour ahead and eleven albums behind her, she’s as interested as ever in connecting with people as much as turning up the amplifier.
When we spoke, she was enjoying a rare quiet day—with one possible interruption: Hank, her dachshund, who apparently has strong opinions about the neighbors. As a fellow dog owner, I knew immediately we’d get along. Then we got down to the music.
Q: You’ve been playing since you were a teenager. If that 13-year-old girl in England could see you now, what would surprise her most?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: Probably how happy music has made me. I was a 13-year-old girl in a small English village in the nineties, obsessed with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. I decided I was going to play guitar and move to America. There wasn’t much chance of it happening, but somehow it did. That’s been one of the biggest blessings.
Q: You’re heading out on tour in support of your new album, The Trouble With Love. What can fans expect?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: We’re promoting the new album, so it’s nice to freshen up the set list. There’ll be a mix of the new songs and older ones. I’m eleven albums in now, so there’s a great back catalog to draw from. Hopefully the songs connect with people, interspersed with obnoxiously loud guitar.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the new album?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: Kevin Shirley produced it; we’ve worked together several times in the past. I wrote the title track while I was home at the family farm in the UK over Christmas. I started thinking about the criticism women sometimes get for writing about relationships. I call it the
“Taylor Swift Effect.” Love is the greatest thing on Earth, and it comes in so many forms. Even Shakespeare wrote about it hundreds of years ago. So I thought, I’ll double down and make the whole album about love, romantic or otherwise.
Q: When you’re recording a guitar solo, how much is planned and how much happens in the moment?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: In the studio it’s pretty live and organic. Kevin might guide me, and we’ll do a few takes, but spontaneity matters. That’s why I fell in love with the blues. You can put your personality into the guitar. If I’m angry, it might be an angry solo. But I don’t think any song needs a guitar solo. It’s my job to justify why it’s there.
Q: You’ve known Joe Bonamassa for years. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve taken from that friendship?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: His professionalism and work ethic. I met Joe when I was twenty-two and still driving myself around in a van. He became like a big brother to me, He and Dave Stewart [Eurythmics] also helped reinforce that it’s not all about guitar playing. You should be a good guitarist, of course, but if you can’t write a good song, nobody’s going to hear that solo.
Q: Has songwriting become easier as you’ve gotten older, or does putting yourself into a song still take courage?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: It’s easier to be genuine. When you’re younger, you worry about the image you’re putting forward. Now I overthink things less. There’s a song on this album, “You and Me,” about my best mate and a lovely afternoon we had together—one of those moments I’ll remember on my deathbed. At twenty-two, maybe I wouldn’t have shared that. But the actual writing is still mysterious.
Q: You’ve watched blues-rock evolve. What do you think the genre needs from the next generation?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: Freedom to be themselves. We’re protective of the blues because it has so much history and hasn’t always had mainstream support. When a young artist gets interested, we want to hold on tightly. But you have to let them explore. I love a good blues shuffle, but imagine if Fleetwood Mac hadn’t evolved from the Peter Green era to Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, we wouldn’t have Rumours. We can love the blues without treating it like something that can’t change.
Q: When people leave one of your shows, what do you hope they’re talking about on the drive home?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: I hope they feel connected to me. I’ve always said I’m a blues guitarist and a soul singer who likes writing rock-pop songs. Songwriting is therapeutic for me. I’ve written about losing my mum and other things everyone goes through. I get to write songs about those experiences and feel better, then share them with people. I hope the songs help somebody else, too.
Q: After all these years, what still excites you about another album and tour?
Joanne Shaw Taylor: All of it. I get to do something I love for a living. I’m looking forward to connecting with audiences, seeing friends and family, visiting different places—and getting Hank on the tour bus [laughs].
The Seventh Echo is available now from
Adverse City Publishing
© 2026 James Wood
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