The British blues-rock guitarist has spent nearly two decades turning personal pain into powerful music, but her latest release finds her aiming that sharpened songwriting at something new: the pressure to please everyone else. The Trouble With Love, out today via Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records, arrives with a defiant new single that reframes the album’s emotional core.
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Joanne Shaw Taylor’s new studio album The Trouble With Love is officially here. Released October 23rd through Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records, the 10-track project was produced by longtime collaborator Kevin Shirley, whose credits include The Black Crowes, Journey, and Aerosmith. The record digs into what Taylor calls the beautiful chaos of the human heart, examining love in its many forms through what she describes as some of her most personal and emotionally direct songwriting to date. The sound moves through blues, rock, soul, and Americana, with guest appearances from both Joe Bonamassa and Orianthi highlighting Taylor’s continued growth as a guitarist, vocalist, and storyteller. STREAM The Trouble With Love. WATCH the official music video for “Never Gonna Please ‘Em All”. ORDER The Trouble With Love.
Dropping alongside the album is the new single “Never Gonna Please ‘Em All,” a spirited, unapologetic declaration of independence and self-acceptance. While much of the album explores the relationships that shape us, this track turns the lens inward, confronting the pressure to meet other people’s expectations and the realization that trying to satisfy everyone often comes at the expense of being yourself.
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The song takes direct aim at the constant demands and contradictions placed on women — being told to smile, to speak less, to make themselves smaller or more agreeable. Rather than giving in, Taylor embraces the freedom of accepting that some people will never be satisfied, delivering the song’s central message with conviction and a healthy dose of defiance.
That attitude comes through in lyrics like “I turned my heartbreak / Into a work of art,” a line that connects the song’s message directly to Taylor’s life as a songwriter. Having spent years transforming personal experiences into music, she turns the frustration of being judged and misunderstood into a celebration of individuality. The repeated refrain, “Ain’t never gonna please ’em all,” becomes a statement of hard-earned confidence, reflecting an artist increasingly comfortable following her own instincts rather than anyone else’s expectations.
At the heart of The Trouble With Love is Taylor’s willingness to examine relationships from different perspectives, without trying to offer easy answers. The album’s title track, featuring Joe Bonamassa, captures the intoxicating highs and lows of romance, with Taylor previously describing it as an attempt to document love’s addictive nature and the complications that come with it. “What Good Is My Love?” featuring Orianthi explores the pain of loving someone who cannot return that affection, bringing together two acclaimed guitarists for an emotionally charged collaboration.
“Hell Or High Water” channels perseverance and self-belief through a blues-gospel arrangement, while Taylor’s reinterpretation of Celeste’s “This Is Who I Am” offers a moving reflection on acceptance and embracing one’s identity. “Tired Of Being Right” examines the difficult realization that someone you love may never change, and “Bad Boy” ventures into the dangerous attraction of relationships that can be thrilling and destructive at the same time. “The Girl That You Loved Before” looks back on a past relationship through the lens of memory and personal growth, exploring the bittersweet experience of being remembered for someone you no longer are.
One of the album’s most intimate moments comes with “You And Me (Rachel’s Song),” written as a tribute to Taylor’s best friend. Rather than romantic love, the song celebrates enduring friendship, shared memories, and the reassurance of having someone who remains a constant through life’s changes. Its inclusion broadens the album’s central theme, showing how the relationships that sustain us can be every bit as meaningful as those that challenge us.
Together, these songs create a record that moves between vulnerability and defiance, tenderness and frustration, heartbreak and hope. Throughout, Taylor’s unmistakable guitar playing remains central to the music, but her songwriting increasingly takes the lead, with Shirley’s production allowing each track to develop its own character. The result is an album that reflects both the musical range Taylor has developed over nearly two decades of recording and the personal experiences that continue to shape her work.
The Trouble With Love has already earned enthusiastic praise from critics, further cementing Taylor’s standing as one of contemporary blues-rock’s leading voices. Blues Matters hailed the album as “blues rock with plenty of bite, balancing restraint and full-throttle guitar fire,” while R’N’R Magazine awarded it four stars, declaring, “These days, Joanne Shaw Taylor has nothing left to prove… she is a major blues rock figure.” Music News called the record “top class and a highlight of the year,” and Fireworks praised it as “another extremely strong effort from the guitarist” with “all the tools to win her a whole bunch of new” fans.
Discovered at just 16 by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, who invited her to tour internationally, Taylor has grown into one of contemporary blues-rock’s most accomplished artists. Her expressive guitar playing and soulful vocals have earned praise from musicians including Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Jimmy Cliff, and Joe Bonamassa, while her catalog includes multiple No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart. With The Trouble With Love, Taylor continues to build on that foundation, bringing together the guitar-driven intensity that first established her reputation and the increasingly personal songwriting that has become central to her artistry.
The album’s release arrives just days before Taylor launches her Fall 2026 U.S. Tour, beginning October 28th in Albuquerque, NM. The extensive run will take her through the Southwest, Mountain West, Pacific Northwest, and California, with Canadian blues-rock band Bywater Call joining her for the opening dates, followed by a series of shows with Robert Jon & The Wreck. Known for her commanding stage presence, searing guitar work, and emotionally charged performances, Taylor will bring material from The Trouble With Love to audiences alongside fan favorites from across her catalog. The tour concludes November 21st at the Golden State Theatre in Monterey, CA. For more information and tickets, visit www.joanneshawtaylor.com/tour.
The Trouble With Love by Joanne Shaw Taylor
1. The Trouble With Love feat. Joe Bonamassa
2. Hell Or High Water
3. This Is Who I Am
4. Tired Of Being Right
5. Bad Boy
6. What Good Is My Love? feat. Orianthi
7. The Girl That You Loved Before
8. Never Gonna Please ‘Em All
9. You And Me (Rachel’s Song)
10. Death Wish
2026 Fall U.S. Tour
October 28 – Albuquerque, NM – KiMo Theatre *
October 29 – Flagstaff, AZ – Orpheum Theater *
October 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theatre *
November 1 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre *
November 3 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater *
November 5 – Colorado Springs, CO – Phil Long Music Hall *
November 6 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater*
November 7 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater *
November 9 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room **
November 10 – Boise, ID – The Egyptian Theatre **
November 12 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory **
November 13 – Tacoma, WA – Rialto Theater **
November 15 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater **
November 17 – Grass Valley, CA – The Center for the Arts **
November 19 – Napa, CA – Uptown Theatre Napa **
November 20 – Bakersfield, CA – World Records **
November 21 – Monterey, CA – Golden State Theatre **
* with Bywater Call
** with Robert Jon & The Wreck
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For more information on Joanne Shaw Taylor, please contact Jon Bleicher at Prospect PR [jon@prospectpr.com | 973.330.1711]
Carol L Chenkin
CLC Enterprises
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Why it matters: This release marks a significant chapter for an artist who has already secured her place atop the Billboard Blues Albums chart multiple times. By pairing her established guitar-driven sound with more personal, introspective songwriting, Taylor is positioning herself for continued relevance in a genre that often rewards authenticity.
