Taylor Renee Marx releases Overwhelming Love

Taylor Renee Marx’s “Overwhelming Love” is, if nothing else, a reminder that spiritual commitment can inform musical art without ever coming off as overly religious. Marx isn’t shy about expressing her personal spirituality and the effect is has on her life, but she does so in a way that never feels oppressive to listeners. “Overwhelming Love” is a compelling first taste of the studio work she plans to engage with in early 2020 and, using this track as an illustration of her growing powers, listeners will be treated to some exceptional music from Marx in the coming year. Hearing this track provides ample evidence for Marx beginning her musical journey at the tender age of eleven and the vocalist, now in her early twenties, has yet to hit her peak.

Guitar is an essential instrument for the song and incorporated artfully into the performance. It has a chiming melodic touch throughout the first part of the song, content to hang back and adorn the track with well-shaped dollops of color, before it flexes considerable muscle in the song’s second half. “Overwhelming Love” has movements akin to a classical piece and the drumming, carefully modulated throughout, steers much of the song’s dramatic impact. Marx has obviously surrounded herself with first class musicians to assist realizing her vision for this track and they bring the added bonus of playing with every bit of the same inspiration characterizing her own vocal.

Her singing has many layers. Marx is intensely responsive to the song’s overall temperature, pressing the issue when the arrangement reaches its peak, backing away when the music settles, and singing with the band performance during the entire song rather than compelling the instrumentation to follow her lead alone. She sings far beyond her twenty one years – both her tone and phrasing are reminiscent of something we might hear from an experienced professional rather than a young albeit prodigious talent just embarking on her career.

The lyrical content doesn’t reinvent the songwriting wheel but, nevertheless, boasts eloquence and thoughtfulness far surpassing what we normally hear from pop music. Even a cursory listen makes it clear Marx and her collaborators expended the same attention to detail on nailing down the lyric that they give to the musical arrangement. It is a paean to her love for God and the effect His presence has on her life, but it is spiritual rather than religious. You don’t need to be a devout believer for this song to resonate with you.

Taylor Renee Marx’s “Overwhelming Love” is a performance with its roots buried deep in Marx’s church upbringing, without question, but the Texan born singer proves she has the necessary chops for elevating the track far outside and above its humble beginnings towards something closer to mainstream art. As mentioned earlier, it isn’t necessary that you’re a believer to have this song affect you. It is performed and written with a mix of wonder, gratitude, and passion any feeling listener will appreciate and respond to without fail.

Mindy McCall