Description

Relative is the sole solo album by the American singer, songwriter, and producer Ojo (a.k.a. Joey Taylor of Undercover fame), released on Broken Records in July 1988, a Brainstorm Artists International imprint manufactured and distributed by Word. The album was recorded at Neverland Studios in Los Alamitos, California; and was written, arranged, performed, and produced by Joey Taylor.

Even if you’re one of those people who’s been following UnderCover since the days chronicled in ‘UnderCover Volume One’, a double tape and disc containing their indie debut and the A&S release ‘God Rules‘, or jumped on the bandwagon for their last studio recording, ‘Branded‘, ‘Relative’ is something completely other than what you’ve been expecting from Joey Taylor. The inimitable “Ojo”, freed from the impositions of a group setting, follows his own muse into a world of high-tech improvisational rock, filtered through dance and ethnic rhythms, and with the help of friends provides a scintillating feast for the mature musical palate.

Take the instrumentals «Box of Treasures» and «Dance of the Secret People». The first resembles a Meadowlark label selection, with a mellow samba rhythm and Adam Again‘s Greg Lawless soloing throughout on acoustic guitar, and the second recalls the rock instrumentals of Paul Johnson – except that Taylor’s keyboard holds the lead. The subtle nuance of tracks that might easily work for a movie score, is hardly what people came to expect from UnderCover. Only «The Fire Rises», with the short melodic lyrics sung by Inki Svensson, recalls the dark instrumentals of ‘Branded’, «Prelude» and «Interlude».

Along with Svensson, Terry Taylor of Da, Mike Knott of L.S.U., John McNamara of 4-4-1, and one half of the busiest production team in Christian metal, Dino, provide the lead vocals, but the lyrics come from the heart and mind of Ojo.

Perhaps you missed the contribution of UnderCover (best represented in their live farwell, ‘3-28-87‘) due to their undeserved labeling as a “punk” band. Here Ojo breaks out with a maturity and depth that deserves consideration, forget the labels. ‘Relative’ gives fresh expression to the age old message of liberation that an ear that can hear will want to hear. [Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM, October 1988]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “(Give Me) A Moment Of Your Time” (Lead Vocals: John McNamara) – 5:55
A2. “Animals And Trees” (Lead Vocals: Michael Knott) – 4:30
A3. “Sha Nu Mi” (Lead Vocals: John McNamara) – 5:20
A4. “Box Of Treasures” – 4:06
A5. “The Fire Rising” (Lead Vocals: Inki Svensson) – 2:46

Side Two
B1. “The Witch Hunt” (Lead Vocals: Michael Knott) – 3:56
B2. “Give Your Children Wisdom” (Lead Vocals: Dino Elefante) – 3:38
B3. “The Dance Of The Secret People” – 5:04
B4. “He Fell In The Water” (Lead Vocals: Terry Scott Taylor) – 3:53
B5. “Love In Wonder” (Lead Vocals: Inki Svensson) – 4:43

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette, 12-inch vinyl LP, and CD by Broken Records. Available at Bandcamp: https://ojotaylor.bandcamp.com/album/relative

About… Brainstorm Artists International

Blue Collar Records was a California based independent label owned by Harry Barnes. After releasing four albums – the first two albums by 4-4-1 (the self-titled debut album and their sophomore effort Mourning Into Dancing), Branded by Undercover, as well as Adam Again’s debut album In A New World of Time – it folded.

After the demise of Blue Collar Records, Brainstorm Artists International (BAI) was established as a partnership between Adam Again’s Gene “Eugene” Andrusco, Joey “Ojo” Taylor of Undercover, and silent partner Barry Hill (who was the sound man for Level Heads, and the one who provided the initial cash) to produce “good music with a spiritual element.” One of a few truly artist-owned and-operated record labels working in the CCM field.

Brainstorm actually started out by using the Broken record label imprint with a sort of lease-to-own partnership. [ Broken Records originally was a short-lived, rock-oriented arm of Maranatha! Music created out of Maranatha’s A&S and MRC labels. It released albums like Altar Boys’ When You’re a Rebel, Crumbächer’s Incandescent, and Voices in Shadows by Youth Choir. As well, the 1985 European edition of Boys and Girls – Renounce the World!, the third album by Undercover, also features the Broken logo on the the album sleeve. (The album was originally released in the US on A&S Records in 1984, a sub-label of Maranatha! Music distributed by Word.) ] The first four albums released by Brainstorm Artists International under the Broken imprint – all manufactured and distributed by Word – were Undercover’s live album 3-28-87, the full-length debut album by Level Heads entitled Momento Mori, Adam Again’s sophomore album ‘Ten Songs by Adam Again‘, as well as a solo album by Ojo, a.k.a. Joe Taylor of Undercover, entitled Relative.