Monica Taylor
Cotton Shirt CD release party
9 p.m. Saturday, $10
The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley
524-0738, www.bluedoorokc.com

"Cotton Shirt" is the latest from Perkins singer/songwriter Monica Taylor, an 11-song album that, as its title suggests, provides wellworn stories, dependable chops and durable spirit.
The title track is a bittersweet, finger-picking return to memories of love left behind.

Slide guitar and pedal steel abound as Taylor's sweet twang turns almost breathless: "You make my breathin' stop / On a dime, you pull my heart 'til yours is breathing in time / With mine."
Halfway through "Cotton Shirt," she teams up with Jimmy LaFave to take on his 1988 tune "The Price of Love," a rendition peppered with piano and steel guitar, and split in half, with LaFave taking on the opening and Taylor closing it out.

"Enjoy the Ride," written by Brad Piccalo, Bob Childers and Greg Jacobs, features a host of guest musicians and vocalists, including Piccalo, Don Morris, Jared Tyler, LaFave and local singer/songwriter John Fullbright, who provides an accordion on this and several songs throughout the album.

"Cotton Shirt" is consistent, start to finish. It's a mature, warm and well-performed album that provides a great mix of original songs, collaborations and guest appearances, each delivered alongside Taylor's charming, folksy croon and her deliberate red-dirt delivery.

She will debut the album at a CD release show 9 p.m. Saturday at The Blue Door, 2805 N. McKinley. Tickets are $10. For more information, call 524-0738 or visit www.bluedoorokc.com.'Joe Wertz