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Folk-pop artisan Benjamin Taylor seems well-rooted in smooth
coffeehouse country like Mindy Smith and porch-folk rocking
reminiscent of G. Love And Special Sauce. Taylor's new CD The
Legend Of Kung Folk Part 1: The Killing Bite is a flattering mix
of country, folk, soul, blues, and reggae with Taylor's vocals skimming
over the melodic phrases bannered by a single-minded mission to have
the songs radiate earnestness. The sentiment emanating from the songs
has an authentic touch embodying folk-pop chromosomes that share strands
with the likes of Marc Broussard and Blue Merle's Luke
Reynolds. It is an album that lets you be alone with your thoughts
and forage through the cobwebs that clog your path.
Taylor's song "Space" speaks from an inner voice as the
gondola-sway of the music is oared by introspective lyrics, "I
already gave you the space that my heart could afford / How could
you ask for more / There is a great big world of space out there waiting
for you to explore… Come on, what are you waiting for?"
Taylor uses the soft textures of soul and blues to his advantage as
his vocals cruise smoothly through the gently rolling swells of "Something
For Nothing" and catapult along the reggae rivets of "Wilderness."
He also puts a moonlight glint in the spacey soul-rock ambience of
"Dangerous Girl," which has a suave Casanova-lighting.
Taylor puts a jazzy zing in his vocal melody with "You're
The One For Me" and a country lilt in "Space." The
steep burrows of "Wrong" give Taylor's gait a bluesy rock
stride, while the porch-folk rocking of "Wicked Way" and
the country-blues shading of "It's Only Love" thread a
cozy-homey-feel that makes these two shine with the same type of
fuse. The album concludes with the somber rolling wheels of "After
It's Over" as the tenderly laced piano strips hold up Taylor's
vocal wings making light flutters along the melody.
Benjamin Taylor's new album makes prolific use of country, folk,
blues, soul, and reggae accoutrements in his melodic designs. His
music shows him to have a much wider breadth of songwriting than
most newcomers would have, with the melodic sensibilities of a seasoned
performer. It is an album expressly made to relate to the individual
in you.
-Susan Frances
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