Ben Taylor - Lowry, Salford, 24/10/2006

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 8 / 11 / 2006

intro

Dixie Enrill watches American singer-songwriter Ben Taylor play an en easy-on-the-ear, but slightly uninspired set at the Salford Lowry

Mash potato is good. A couple of nice-sized dollops hit the spot every time, but a huge plateful doesn’t offer the same satisfaction. Ben Taylor is a little bit like that. The odd song here and there is quite pleasant, but a whole set of them becomes a little dull. In this case you can have too much of a good thing. In truth I’m not really a big fan of singer songwriters unless they are exceptional lyricists, because then the words come to the fore and are the thing that drag me in and captivate me. Unfortunately, Taylor’s lyrics are a tad twee and lack the grit and imagination of rising English contemporaries such as Stephen Fretwell, Liam Frost and Robert Edwards. That said, the audience seemed reasonably appreciative and the setting was ideal for Taylor to sit, guitar in hand, and work through tracks from his current long player, 'Another Run Around The Sun'. Perhaps, given time, he can give Jack Johnson a run for his money if he can build upon tracks like ‘Nothing I Can Do’ and ‘Surround Me’. Maybe leaving the skin on and adding some onion and chives can make mass appeal of mash yet……

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