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Musician, vocalist, and vocal coach Taylor brings her life into focus in this vividly rendered memoir. From her childhood wrangling with mixed-race status in Japan and, later, grieving the loss of her Japanese family relationships in a mostly white American community, to her star-studded, international journey singing with Pink Floyd, Sting, Pat Benatar, George Benson, Foreigner, Bobby Caldwell, Hiroshima, Gov't Mule, and others, Taylor describes a life to be envied by anyone with musical aspirations. Uninterested in academics and secure in her love of song and performance, she immerses herself in 1960s FM radio and her involvement in church choirs, school musicals, and the occasional gig at weddings, funerals, and local clubs. Confident in her love of music, she skips the college trajectory after high school graduation to immerse herself in real-world musicianship.
Taylor writes, "In hindsight, it was an amazing musical training ground for me that could not be paralleled by even the best universities in the world. It was real-life experience that not only made me a good musician, singer, and performer but also helped me develop a true sense of confidence in my talent." She eventually earned bachelor's and master's degrees to share her knowledge as a teacher.
Taylor moves through and far beyond the juicy social titillation and namedropping readers would expect from a music business tell-all. Her unquenchable drive to understand her authentic nature and purpose is impressive. She was not shy about seeking assistance whenever life began to crumble, whether in the form of conventional or psychedelic therapy, or in the meditative solace found in the Buddhist practice she embraces. She is aware of the impermanence of all things and the ever-changing tapestry of life in which humans transform themselves as lessons are grasped and self-understanding grows. Hers is a story not only of career accolades but of the deeper meaning found within discovering one's true human nature.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review