If we’re going by the old adage, ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’, then I think it’s safe to say singer-songwriter Ben Taylor is doing quite well in his career so far. He’s the son of American stars Carly Simon and James Taylor, and his single ‘Wilderness’ features British Pop/Jazz star Jamie Cullum on piano. Other credits on this single go to David Saw (guitar) and John Forté, a U.S Rapper/Producer who wrote the song.

The fact that this song features Jamie Cullum, and is written by a US Rapper, is more than enough to grab the listeners attention, but then the music kicks in, and takes things to a whole new level. I was captivated from the first beat of the interesting intro, until the closing notes of the funk/folk explosion of the verses/chorus. The musicianship is very smooth, and the chorus is the very essence of cool. Ben is a strong vocalist, and seems to have just the right balance between the folk and funk elements of the song. My only slight critique was that sometimes the piano drowned out the vocal a bit in the chorus. Apart from that it’s an easy on the ear, enjoyable listen, and something which I hope will be welcomed by U.K music fans.

‘Wilderness’ is released on October 5th 2009, and is taken from the album ‘The Legend of Kung Folk Part One (The Killing Bite). For more information visit www.bentaylormusic.com