Shawn Taylor
Sunberry Restaurant and Bar
Hartford
May 1, 2025
I’d heard that Sunberry, one of the newer bars that have helped to revitalize Hartford’s famed Pratt Street, has musical performances on Thursday nights. The early evening still held the warmth of the day that preceded it, so I went out to listen to Shawn Taylor and his spin on the typical guitar-wielding, harmonica-playing soloist.
Of course, it’s not a visit to a bar without a drink, so I indulged in a sake sangria. It’s quite the mix of ingredients, including rice vodka, white rum, triple sec, lemon juice, strawberries, soda water, red wine and sake. While it sounds like a lot, the various flavors infused the red wine with an extra kick that still maintained the smoothness and full body of the wine.
As tasty as the drink was, I was there for the music. It’s basically become a rule of thumb for me that if I walk into a performance while one of my favorite songs is playing, it’s going to be a good night. Shawn Taylor kept that tradition going, as he was just winding down his arrangement of Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us” when I entered.
But the night was mostly dedicated to his original music. Taylor has been playi g for almost 40 years, and has developed a soulful sound that blends with the folksy charm of his harmonica and guitar. As I listened to him perform the original song “Home,” I was impressed by the harmonica in particular. It was as if I could hear the instrument singing, mimicking words and sounds that are typically reserved for the human voice.
It’s all part of his style. Taylor has defined his own musical genre. He calls it “wandering roots,” which he says comes from his desire to absorb as many different facets of Americana as possible. He lists his musical influences as ranging from Miles Davis to Rage Against the Machine, and everything in between. His upcoming album, titled The Last One, taps Motown, reggae, Celtic, folk, rock and blues.
“It’s always about the human connection of whatever it is I’m talking about in my songs, be it politics or love or anything really,” he said when I spoke to him during a break in his performance. “It’s always about the human connections, and the belief that different people can relate to you from far different perspectives on the same level. I’m basically trying to create music that can boil people down to who we are, and we can be together and hang out.”
His song “Good Morning,” the lead track on his upcoming album, encapsulates that philosophy. Whereas love songs typically focus on nighttime and the various activities between two consenting adults, Taylor positions his great love as a break from the darkness, as something to look forward to. In that way, his love becomes aspirational — love is often characterized in ways that are borderline possession, but for Taylor, he’s always looking for it in the morning light.
Sunberry is a cool, hip spot in the city, and Shawn Taylor is a cool, hip artist that fits right in there. I’m looking forward to his new music and becoming a fan.
Shawn Taylor’s fifth album, The Last One, launches on May 16. You can learn more at https://shawntaylortunes.com/.
