review

I arrived on time to a packed Komedia eager to see the singer songwriter Ben Taylor. For those who don’t already know, Ben is the son of the legendary James Taylor and Carly Simon. Ben is touring the UK following the release of his third album Another Run Around The Sun. With such a musical pedigree, there is a fair amount of pressure on him but the album has received good reviews and Ben is finally beginning to come out of the shadow of his parents and be recognised as an artist in his own right.

There are plenty of James Taylor fans in, probably curious to see what Taylor Jr has to offer. The man himself enters stage with the minimum of fuss. He looks like a dude from the skate park, with baggy jeans and trendy cap; at first I thought he was a stage hand. It soon becomes clear that this is all part of Ben’s laid back style.  He seems every inch the reluctant star, all too aware that the attention paid to him still owes much to his parents.

Once we are underway it is clear he has inherited his father’s velvety tones, at times the similarity is uncanny. On a more contemporary note there is also an element of Jack Johnson’s warm, rich harmonies in his delivery. Delicately written songs pour forth, sensitively crafted ballads finely interpreted. Taylor has learnt his craft well and his finger picking guitar style is seamless in its quality. He goes down well with the crowd whom seem to purr along to his gentle folky style. Elemental subject matter is given wistful, poetic handling in songs like Rain and Island and there is a touching dedication to his mom.  Between tracks Ben is happy to chat away, making jokes about the weather. He even proves he has been watching the news, dedicating a song to ‘dead turkeys’.

He is accompanied on stage by Peter Saw who provides a minimilistic form of percussion in the form of a wooden box and a microphone. The sound is effective enough and while the whole performance is very low key it is none the less captivating. The third person on stage is the captivating Meredith Sheldon, (James Taylor’s god daughter) who provides additional acoustic support with guitar as well as sublime vocals. Her voice really finds its range when the band does a cover of Portishead’s Glory Box and in a further nod to the Brits they rattle off a version of Amy Whinehouse’s Rehab.

Taylor’s niceness is impossible to disguise, even when he tries to sing about being wicked in My Wicked Way you feel this is the guy most mums would want their daughter to marry. Certainly you wouldn’t describe this as deeply challenging music. Instead it is contemplative -  responding to a certain mood. Taylor has not gone overtly commercial in order to find success and is finding his own niche. It is the perfect accompaniment to a romantic evening. 

Recommended

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http://bentaylormusic.com

By Steve Simpson, MyVillage, 13th February