Taylor Phelan's musical life is quite the fable: originally rising up in the Chicago music scene and then finding formidable success in the overall industry with his band The Canes, Phelan went on to start a family. After The Canes split up, Taylor found his outlet playing solo, in particular through being prominently featured on NBC's popular singing show The Voice. The Taylor of this session is unlike what you may have seen before. The songs are focused and well crafted, proving Phelan to not just be a performer but a creator as well. And though his band adds a lot to the songs and makes the whole set more engaging, some of the songs would have the same impact if Taylor was playing them solo due to the absolute power and versatility of his voice. What would be missing is all the interesting ways the band brings in other sounds to their fold. There's just three of them in this session, but each instrumentalist stretches the possibilities of their position in the band to add a colorful backdrop to the songs. Phelan could use his voice to sing country or R&B music just as well as he sings in an indie rock band. That versatility alone allows a diverse range of moods to enter each song.A highlight of the session is Taylor Phelan's first solo single, "Settle Down," a much needed song that pleads for the world to revisit the way we treat each other. It isn't really political, but it strikes a loud chord in today's climate.