Ben Taylor inherited the voice of his famous dad, but his music style is different. PATRIK ANDERSSON Visit the Photo Place

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Son of James Taylor hasn't quite lived up to his father's legend

Date published: 5/29/2009

BY MATT CAMERON

While Ben Taylor's fourth full-length release, "The Legend of Kung Folk: Part 1 (The Killing Bite)," will draw a lot of comparisons to the work of a man who shares Taylor's last name--his father, singer-songwriter James Taylor--his work is actually more similar to that of a man who shares the younger Taylor's first name.

From its outset, "Kung Folk" embraces the funky acoustic styles of Ben Harper, while also showcasing Taylor's fine voice, which he evidently inherited from his father.

The result is an album that sounds more like Harper's "Both Sides of the Gun" than the elder Taylor's "Sweet Baby James," but which combines elements of both to make a pleasant, albeit very derivative, modern folk album.

Just as Taylor's instrumentation and vocals sound familiar, his subject matter and tone are the same as those of many contemporary folk artists. Taylor hardly strays from the topics of love and loss on "Kung Folk."

With nine of its 10 tracks obviously devoted to a love interest, this is hardly an album from which listeners should expect profound lyrical inventiveness.

If one can get past the lack of variety, though, Taylor's music makes for a good listen. His backing band provides fluid rhythms that would sound just right coming from a cafe or lounge, and Taylor matches their effort with a voice smooth enough to mask the repetitiveness of the subject matter.

On the album's first track, "Wrong," which is also the only one not explicitly about a lover, Taylor shines particularly brightly as his rich voice contrasts with the female backing vocals. Taylor also closes the album in terrific fashion, moaning wistfully over a soft piano line about--surprise, surprise --a lost lover in "After It's Over."

Ultimately, while Taylor has the raw materials--talent, heritage and musicianship--to succeed brilliantly, "Kung Folk" only provides a glimpse of what he could truly achieve.

Matt Cameron is a senior at James Monroe High School.

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Date published: 5/29/2009