David Saw/Chad Perrone/Ben Taylor

There were two openers for this show. First up was Brit David Saw, who did good. Not very memorable, maybe, but pretty good at holding attention. The second opener--Chad Perrone--was actively boring; I swear I saw everyone in my section check their watch in the last fifteen minutes of his set.

Ben Taylor gets mad props, though. His voice sounds weirdly like his dad's, especially in its higher ranges (James Taylor, of course)--I'm sure he's tired of hearing that, but it's true; and he uses it well, with short a cappella interludes in most songs. He's got a good stage presence, and his songwriting seems pretty strong, with a nice jazzy, funky, comfortable feel to it. Refreshing to hear live music (in the Paradise, no less!) that is real sure it's not emo. He, er, I think he did a Mos Def cover too--Mos Def - The Boogie Man Song; it was a fantastic fit for his voice, and I only wish I could get a recording of it.

He mentioned in the middle that his mom was at the show, and for the encore his sister Sally Taylor (who sang backup the whole show--her voice's inherited her mom's impressive size, but not the bell-like tone quality) and his mom got up and harmonized as he sang James Taylor - You Can Close Your Eyes. That was a treat. I wish it were one of those recorded concerts where you can buy the CD right after, though. I want Boogie Man and Close Your Eyes.

Really kinda weird to see a show that's such a family affair--usually my attitude to musicians is that I like their music, but I don't need to bother them personally or hear about their private lives. With this it's kind of unavoidable, since I grew up listening to James Taylor and, to a lesser extent, Carly Simon; and, y'know, his sister sang backup, his mom was there, and he covered a song of his dad's. He seems to be okay with it being a family affair himself, so I guess I should be too.

Anyway. Lovely concert.