Arriving like an early holiday present, the digital-only album Little Miracle from the extraordinarily talented singer and songwriter Kim Taylor was enough of a pleasant surprise to put a smile on our Scrooge-like demeanor for a Monday. We first caught Kim a few years ago at a small NY club, banging a defenseless acoustic guitar and driving the toe of her boot to the floor to keep rhythm in front of a small but appreciative group of fans. With a voice we've since described as "a concoction of two parts whiskey, one part smoke and one part sweet strap molasses", the Cincinnati based performer still remains somewhat of an undiscovered gem. Garnering some promising adult radio play and word-of-mouth buzz on the strength of her prior two albums, Taylor has quietly built up a solid international fan base -- and the self-released Little Miracle, produced by fine NY multi-instrumentalist Jimi Zhivago, continues her winning if unsung streak.

There's a seriousness that occasionally dips to a mournful melancholy in the nine tracks that make up her Miracle, made more apparent, perhaps, by the naturally resigned tone of her voice and Zhivago's swelling Hammond B-3 organ fills. "American Child", boasting gorgeous chord progressions and mesmerizing, goose-bump inducing folk/rock melody is a standout as is the sweetly turned out lament "Do You Ever Feel Lonely". This is deceptively straight-forward, slyly literate music that simply, effectively crawls beneath the skin to haunt with each successive listen, drawing the listener closer with stories that need to be told, emotions that yearn to be shared. Highly recommended. Listen to Little Miracle (and buy) after the jump...

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Kim Taylor - "Anchor Down" (from the album Little Miracle)

Kim Taylor -"Do You Ever Feel Lonely" (from the album Little Miracle)

Catch our earlier Daily Track "I Am You" from Kim Taylor here.