Hubbard’s Taylor Borton Brings Old-School Nashville Sound Home
HUBBARD, Ohio – After laying the foundation for her musical career in Nashville, singer-songwriter Taylor Borton will return to the Mahoning Valley this weekend to perform for local audiences.
It will be the Hubbard native’s first Valley shows in at least a year.
Borton has a solo gig at Woodland Cellars in Hubbard from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 26. The next day, she’ll take part in a local country music showcase at Birdfish Brewing in Columbiana, with sets at 2:15 and 6 p.m. Admission to both shows is free.
Borton released at least seven songs since September – all recorded in Nashville, where she has lived the past five years. The most recent is “I Knew You First,” which came out two weeks ago.
All of the songs reveal a throwback artist with a haunting voice and unyielding instinct. She’ll play her new material at the Valley shows, along with a few covers that fit her style – think Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline.
Though still in her early 20s, Borton is mining that old-school Nashville sound, exposing its Americana roots but with a modern flair.
It’s the first music she became familiar with – her parents listened to country icons like Lynn and Cline when she was growing up – but it fits her like a glove.
Borton started playing gigs in the Youngstown and Sharon, Pa., areas when she was 14, filling her set with cover songs.
“I grew up with an older mindset, and I looked into traditional country songs,” she said. “I learned I could play them, and that my voice was a good fit. The people at my shows were older, and it’s what they knew, so I decided to appeal to them. Then I slowly started adding in my own stuff.”
At least a half-dozen of Borton’s original songs, and a few videos, are posted on her website.
Borton has made strides in the past year, honing her musical brand while paying her dues. Staying true to herself, she happily bucks Music City’s country-pop trend.
“I’m trying to write like Patsy Cline,” she said. “It would be cool to bring [that style] back …”
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
