Ben Gallaher ‘Taylor Gold’ – Acoustic Project Review

Ben Gallaher’s new project, Taylor Gold is out now, August 7th on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

For Ben Gallaher, the heartbeat of his music has always come from his guitar. On his 2025 release, Time, that was evident as he played lead guitar on each track. Now, the singer-songwriter-guitarist returns with Taylor Gold, an acoustic companion EP that reimagines seven of that album’s best tracks. On Gold, he strips them down to their most organic origins, allowing both his unique voice and stellar musicianship to shine through.

Named after a favorite guitar, the Taylor Gold EP, allows Gallaher to truly flex his guitar skills. “Acoustic guitar was my first love and it’s what I’ve played the longest. I’ve played Taylor guitars specifically since 2011 and when I held my new Taylor Gold 514 for the first time, it just felt like home,” shares Gallaher. “That guitar had a heartbeat in it that wouldn’t let me put it down. It was full of untapped inspiration that I was discovering in real time. The more I played it, the more I wanted to reimagine and strip these songs down to their rawest, most organic form – and to create recordings that reflect how they sound when performed on my Taylor Gold guitar, which is why it became the name of the project.”

Produced by Neil and Patrick Thrasher, the collection features a mix of sunny warmth and stripped-down heartbreak. The EP opens with “I’ll Take You,” a song that feels perfectly suited for this acoustic treatment, as his voice floats over the melodies. In fact, this take is even more optimistic and sun-soaked than its full-band counterpart. Gallaher’s signature raspy vocals glide effortlessly over warm acoustic guitars, bringing an added tenderness to lyrics like, “I’ll take you over anybody any day, you like sunshine over rain. Your hand in my hand, whatever life throws my way, I’ll take you over anybody any day.” 

Likewise, “Stomp” shines effortlessly in its lightened version. Originally built around a viral guitar lick, the track was a clear highlight in its original form, and remains a standout here. While it’s stripped down a bit, the song’s gritty, swamp-tinted soul remains, immediately enticing listeners to groove along between guitar chords and pulsing drums.

“Betcha Money” offers another especially fun moment, with the nostalgic tempo and twang of early 2000’s country music. Here, he’s ready to put money on turning his girl into a “country girl,” and it’s a perfect summer anthem with its catchy hook and breezy melody.

Meanwhile, “Still a Few Cowboys Left” remains true to its original form, allowing for a darker and more intense delivery, Gallaher’s Kip-Moore-esque rasp on full display. Here, he celebrates the everyday men and women who are pillars of society, never changing in a world that spins around them. Despite whatever happens, “there’s still a few cowboys left.”

For the happily-married Pennsylvania native, his voice channels heartbreak like a true vessel. On “Time,” he laments that it’s moving on without him, while “Where Do You Go” feels even more hopeless in its stripped down form. Here, the pluckiness of the acoustic guitar accentuates his brokenness, as he finds himself longing for the one who got away. “She’s on every corner, at the bottom of every glass,” he sings. “Where do you go, when your go-to’s gone?”

The EP concludes with “Love is Hard,” a fitting finale of isolated guitars and moody vocals that set the stage for a poignant finale. Here, he sets the mood with masterful guitar work that is only enhanced by his powerful vocal performance, proclaiming “Love is hard, but lonely’s harder.”

On Taylor Gold, Ben Gallaher proves that a good song can stand alone without heavy instrumentation or production. It allows his voice to shine in a way that few singers can, while also showing his strength as a guitar-man. 

Country Swag Picks:

1. I’ll Take You
2. Stomp
3. Betcha Money

Taylor Gold Track List:

1. I’ll Take You (Taylor Gold) (Tony Martin, Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher)
2. Time (Taylor Gold) (Ben Gallaher, Tony Martin, Neil Thrasher)
3. Still A Few Cowboys Left (Taylor Gold) (Ben Gallaher, Tony Martin, Neil Thrasher)
4. Stomp (Taylor Gold) (Ben Gallaher, Patrick Thrasher, Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley)
5. Where Do You Go (Taylor Gold) (Kelley Lovelace, Josh Thompson, Neil Thrasher)
6. Betcha Money (Taylor Gold) (Lee Thomas Miller, Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher)
7. Love Is Hard (Taylor Gold) (Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Tony Martin, Neil Thrasher)