Taylor uncovers the past, offering new perspectives  

Naturally then, when Wang came calling a second time, past and present were in sync yet again. Here too, the songs find their emotional core in Taylor's gift for emotional heft, whether it's the jaunty lope of "Whose Side Are You On?" or the quiet and contemplative "End of Part One" and "Henry Kissinger's Heart." Likewise, the tellingly titled "Credits Rolling" serves as an apt conclusion to a brief, but indelible set of songs, These offerings serve more than simply the soundtrack; they stir the spirit and find a bond in the tangled thread of ernest emotion.

"Chip did something really special with the music," Wang insists. "The songs we use in the movie are for the credits, but the other songs from the album capture other angles of the movie so beautifully."

While the release of these two efforts, representing both past and present, are significant additives to Taylor's extensive recorded canon - a sprawling singles catalog that dates back to 1958 and an album catalog that began with the trio Gorgoni, Martin & Taylor - continued through a series of seminal Americana albums recorded for Warner Brothers, Capitol and Gadfly Records. Following a 17-year hiatus that found him trying his luck as a professional gambler, Taylor eventually resumed under the aegis of his own independent record label, Train Wreck Records.

Still, though the past may be omnipresent, the future continues to beckon as well. Even as he celebrates his two current projects, he's looking forward to releasing an all new release, "Whiskey Salesman," early in the new year. The songs are autobiographical, documenting Taylor's early life (he was a whiskey salesman, among other things), and as one might expect now, offer another example of the past looming large and sharing space in Taylor's ever-continuing trajectory.

Taylor is all too aware of the bond that exists between these albums, recorded at different intervals, but still tied together by time.

"I just did a show this week in Hudson, N.Y. honoring Patrick Wang's new film, 'A Bread Factory,' singing some songs I had written inspired by the film and joining them with songs from my new album 'Time Waits For No Little Girls - Uncovered,'" he reflects. "What a beautiful night, a night that never would have happened had I not reopened some gifts that I had been given... that I had forgotten to open properly in the first place."

Lee Zimmerman is a freelance writer based in Maryville, Tenn. He also expounds on music on his web site, Stories Beyond the Music - Americana Music Reviews, Interviews & Articles.