Review Text
Even as she is developing into one of contemporary music's most compelling and insightful independent singer/songwriters, Alaria Taylor is quickly becoming an inspiration to women everywhere with her ongoing commitment to various female-oriented charity and music events in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Alaria's breakthrough Unfinished Business received 27 different national and regional awards including Billboard Magazine's World Song Contest, VH-1 Song of the Year Contest, Great American Song Contest, "CD of the Year" and "Song of The Year" nominations from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry. Tracks from the album have been played on over 100 radio stations throughout the world. Unfinished Business was produced by legendary, Grammy Award winner Joe Puerta-best known to several generations of pop/rock fans as a founding member of Ambrosia and part of Bruce Hornsby and The Range. "Unfinished Business brought me so many amazing opportunities including television interviews and appearances, worldwide radio airplay and awards ...it was even more than I had hoped for." In addition to this, Alaria received an endorsement deal from Luna Guitars in 2006 and has recently been named a voting member of the Recording Academy (The Grammy's). Tracks from the equally gripping Bread Or Water are quickly making a similar impact; the Fleetwood Mac reminiscent title track "Bread or Water" and the uplifing "Time of Angels" have won Honorable Mentions in the prestigious Billboard Magazine World Songwriting Contest. "This CD is about the emotional roller coasters we all get on...and how to get off of them." she says. Alaria wrote the hard driving opening track "Nobody Else Like You" as a direct message to a woman in the depths of despair. Alaria knows first hand what it's like to emerge from the depths of despair. Her story reads like a soap opera...but it's all true. As a two time rape survivor, she knows firsthand the struggles and pain all too many women go through. Those experiences left her with post-traumatic stress disorder and a suicidal depression. In 2000, she was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease, a crippling, unpredictable, and incurable illness that causes severe bouts of violent vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. For three years, she was unable to even listen to music, much less create it. Alaria refused to give up even though the disease left her legally deaf in one ear. She was miraculously healed when two women she had never met before approached her, prayed over her for 4 hours and told her "You're supposed to be doing music...that is your mission in life." Though she is still deaf in one ear, she remains incredibly upbeat and considers the years of trauma instrumental in helping her become the artist she is today. While other artists want the limelight for themselves, Alaria is always sharing it and helping other artists. She is the Director of Chick Singer Night-Milwaukee, a national non-profit organization devoted to helping female artists in every stage of their career. CSN is currently in eleven cities across the United States. Alaria brought the "Best Of Chick Singer Night" to Milwaukee's Summerfest: The World's Largest Music Festival, giving many artists the long awaited chance to play at this highly respected festival. Alaria performs her passionate, heartfelt blend of blues, folk, pop and rock songs several times a month at clubs, coffeehouses and festivals in the Milwaukee area. In addition to CSN, she also coordinates and performs at many special events and concerts for other non-profit organizations throughout the year, including the GoGirlsMusic Festival, an annual festival showcasing female artists in 14 cities across the country. She also coordinates "Chicks with Picks and Piano's" showcases in the area. All of these things have earned her the title of "Leader of the Chicks" from M Magazine and she's been called "The driving force behind women's music in the Milwaukee Area" by one local reviewer. Alaria
