Famous Among the Barns

1	Island 3:45
2	Let It Grow 2:35
3	I Am the Sun 3:22
4	Day After Day 3:07
5	No More Running Away 3:36
6	Safe Enough to Wake Up 3:38
7	Time of the Season 4:21
8	Just Like Everyone Else 2:46
9	A Good Day to Be Alive 2:26
10	Mushroom Dance 2:20
11	Rain 4:32
12	Tonight 7:28

Barnes & Noble

The adage about the apple not falling far from the tree is played out in colorful style on this, the debut disc from the offspring of James Taylor and Carly Simon. Folksy and introspective without resorting terribly often to singer-songwriter cliché, Ben Taylor recalls his dad's mid-period sound -- post-depression and pre-stodginess -- with a lilting precision. He can spin a world-weary tale, like the breakup allegory "I Am an Island," with heart on sleeve, then bounce back with "Day After Day, a hippie-flavored ode to love, lust, and the gray areas in between. Taylor's backing band chugs along with old-school sunniness, lapping at the edges of psychedelia on a cover of the Zombies' "Time of the Season" and poking around in the corners of Kink-dom on "Just like Everyone Else." Fans of postmodern troubadours like John Mayer may find Taylor a little too austere, but for folks who are hankering for a little bit of rusticity, a visit to the Barns is just the ticket. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Sometimes you actually can judge a book by its cover, or a man by his name, at least to a certain degree. Combining the youthful energy and attitude of Ben Harper with the smooth and airy vocal quality of his dad, James Taylor, this rule of thumb seems to hold fairly true for Ben Taylor. Now, kids of famous musicians should never be given a free ride or an open door. They should pay their dues just like everyone else. Ben Taylor seems to have done so, inasmuch as a 25-year-old could. He's pulled together a talented band and strong production support. That's smart because it results in a sonically pleasing record. However, when you really dig into the songwriting, that's when you find a few missteps. These aren't bad songs. In fact, Taylor has some pretty decent, creative ideas swirling around in these folk-rock-pop melodies. Bad grammar for the sake of an easy rhyme, though, is never acceptable, and the chorus of "I Am the Sun" is rife with it. No wonder our kids score so low on standardized tests, or perhaps this is a case in point. Overall, Famous Among the Barns is no earth-shattering musical statement, but it's way better than a poke in the eye. Kelly McCartney