April 13, 2023

“Everybody’s On Stage is nothing if not a journey. We listen as Taylor flirts, falters, flexes, and wrestles with the questions in her gut. Is my dream of success worth the risk of failure? Can I stay true to myself in an oppressive industry? How do I bear the burden of expectations? How do I carry my father forward with nuance and purpose? As she slowly unearths answers, we can feel her bravery — not a lack of fear, but an ability to stay in process with her fears until she can work through them in song. In the tradition of Solange’s A Seat At The Table and Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy, she dances across genre lines and steps boldly into her queerness, sounding just as lithe singing classic soul as she does spitting a quick 16. Somewhere between the self-liberatory snarl of “Breathe” and the closing meditation “Everybody’s On Stage,” we hear Taylor finally set down other people’s dreams for her and begin to make some for herself. Yes, Taylor Simone Harvey was born for this. But even as she honors her lineage she’s carving out something new, on no one’s terms but her own.” - Josh Smith, musician and journalist