Maria Taylor

Mixing Beth Orton’s electronic grooves, Lisa Germano’s eclecticism, and the smooth confessional tenor of Suzanne Vega, Birmingham, Alabama’s Maria Taylor has gained notoriety with her debut, 11:11, and her latest effort, Lynn Teeter Flower. Discovered by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and signed to his Saddle Creek label, Taylor fronted the indie-rock duo Little Red Rocket and dream-pop duo Azure Ray, as well as working with lovelorn indie rockers Now It’s Overhead. Not surprisingly, Taylor’s music is anything but predictable — a dreamy hodgepodge of folk-pop ballads, bluesy rock moments, and intimate dance numbers that manages to be both toe-tapping fun and filled with existential angst. It is undoubtedly the latter that landed Taylor’s “Song Beneath the Song” on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack. An indie pop-rock feel and Taylor’s soothing contralto unify the music.