Taylor Shae wrote “What’s Left When” as a part of her Artist In Residence stay at Caribou Ranch in Nederland, CO, surrounded by a field of wildflowers and summoned by the great mountains of Colorado. This feeling of peacefulness led to an understanding, that there are places like this that will no longer exist in the future. This song asks the questions: what’s left when we’ve taken everything we can from this planet - what’s left then?

“Ghost Chair” is a lively song brimming with pent up energies and false hopes of a relationship in the past. A person is so wrapped up in what could have been had things gone differently, that they start to conceptualize an alternative reality. The title of the song, “Ghost Chair” emphasizes the themes about relying on something that is merely a figment of the mind and imagination. The dueling acoustic guitar parts and heart-catching harmonies give the song an inventive Americana folk sound, lyrics telling a story of a delusion gone too far.

“Fool’s Gold” combines soul-crying vocals with rip-snortin’ guitar licks for an energized blues groove. The song is about opportunities that have fallen through, leaving frustration for the ones that have to earn their way to the top. Listeners can expect foundational blues elements with a fresh, modern take, driving home the stank with a powerful female vocal line. A music video is scheduled for release with the song.

“Street Sweeper” is bottled up energy and frustration in the form of a song. The lyrics are about the individuals in a larger system exasperated by the political barriers to instigate change, despite ample solutions to the problems in circulation and in discussion. The continued devalued state of the environment is one example of a gridlock of action occurring, while humans alter natural systems in irreversible ways. The driving rhythm of the acoustic guitar is sent snowballing down the mountain of turmoil by the intricate bass line. The lyrics are honest and foreboding about a dark future, and everything comes together during the recurring unison melodies of the vocals and instruments. The upbeat, new-age Americana style and cleverness of the lyrics offsets the seriousness of the message behind the tune. A music video for this song was recorded deep in the Nederland, Colorado forest as a part of Taylor’s stay at Caribou Ranch Open Space for the Boulder County Artist in Residence program.

“Street Sweeper” is bottled up energy and frustration in the form of a song. The upbeat, new-age Americana style and cleverness of the lyrics offsets the seriousness of the message behind the tune. This song is about individuals exasperated by political barriers to instigate change in society. The driving rhythm of the acoustic guitar and intricate bass line help communicate this with energy and reason. A music video will be released with the song, recorded deep in the Nederland, Colorado forest