Search - Benjamin Taylor :: The Legend Of Kung Folk Part 1 (The Killing Bite)

The Legend Of Kung Folk Part 1 (The Killing Bite)
Benjamin Taylor
The Legend Of Kung Folk Part 1 (The Killing Bite)
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (10) - Disc #1

Benjamin Taylor — The Legend of Kung Folk part 1 (The Killing Bite) — A journey of 10,000 beats begins ... — There has always been and will always be Kung Folk. It's as predictable and sure as blossoms in the springtime, a wo...  more »

     
   
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CD Details

All Artists: Benjamin Taylor
Title: The Legend Of Kung Folk Part 1 (The Killing Bite)
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 2
Label: Iris Records Label
Original Release Date: 1/1/2008
Re-Release Date: 9/16/2008
Genres: Alternative Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Contemporary Folk, Adult Contemporary, Singer-Songwriters, Adult Alternative
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 020286117421

Synopsis

Product Description
Benjamin Taylor
The Legend of Kung Folk part 1 (The Killing Bite)


A journey of 10,000 beats begins ...

There has always been and will always be Kung Folk. It's as predictable and sure as blossoms in the springtime, a wobble from a strong rice wine and a kick in the face from a pretty girl.

This is an honest album of organically handcrafted songs. But it is also dope and stylie, and it sounds great.

Good technique is important; repetitious study of fundamentals and mentorship from masterful masters and guides helps. But good Kung Folk depends just as much on making its own way and finding its own level - like Water.

The Killing Bite reveals itself out into the fresh air from the pocket of a groovy multi-colored corduroy cloak, almost as if to say: "Sometimes when you kiss a pretty girl she kisses you back.

Ben Taylor's third album on Iris Records, The Legend of Kung Folk part 1 (The Killing Bite), finds him comfortably ornate in the somewhat difficult simplicity of his arc and style. He is surrounded, aided, and abetted by close friends in kind rooms and it is evident in the flow of his Kung Folk.

Linear time is a purely physical phenomenon. To the spirit, eternity is immediate. In order to cultivate strong Kung Folk, one sets all associations aside and focuses on the day as it arrives. The Killing Bite, likewise, comes with this abandonment of expectation and perceived outcome while still being deep and mortal.

Training, influences, and genetics are all evident, but there will only be a tendency to compare until the basic delusion of separateness falls away and reveals the music and the world around it for what it truly is: Pure Life Force.

A disciple of Kung Folk says I am absolutely that which came before me and I am absolutely not that - again and again, forever.

Profound awareness and revelatory catharsis is just as likely to occur in a "Gentleman's Club" as it is beside a clear mountain stream.

The Earth smiles when its creatures smile at each other. She blooms as a result of our enjoying peaceful and sexy Kung Folk together.

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CD Reviews

Some people need some perspective
Ryan J. Little | Orlando, FL | 09/20/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yeah. Ben Taylor isn't James Taylor in the smooth '70s. Nor is he Carly Simon of '80s fame. Why this should surprise some people (i.e. a reviewer here) is beyond me. If you only like JT albums, which I do, go buy them and live in the past. Ben Taylor has a more modern sound and plenty of talent. Check out the reviews on his other albums and listen to the music yourself. Don't let some naysayers who give this album 1 star (I mean, 1 star??? Is he reviewing Eddie Murphy's album?) dissuade you from loving Ben's music."
Major Step Back
Midwest Music Reviewer | 10/29/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure if any artist has had their first three LP's be as different as Ben Taylor's. Perhaps this is why they have come out under three different artist names (The Ben Taylor Band, Ben Taylor, and Benjamin Taylor). The first, "Famous Among the Barns", was an interesting though not particularly earth shattering folk-rock-funk mix. The second, "Another Run Around the Sun", shifted gears to an acoustic folk sound, and yielded a wonderful and all around solid album. Unfortunately, his most recent album, "The Legend of Kung Folk Part 1: the Killing Bite" is as disappointing as the title is long. Taylor abandoned the simple yet timeless sound of "Another Run" for an eclectic mess which really leaves the album without a purpose or direction. The songs seem to have no real connection to each other and lack much of the depth of Taylor's previous efforts. In addition to lack of any unifying aspect of the album, the songs aren't terribly inventive and really don't generate anything that hasn't been heard before from other artists. For these reasons the album simply does not hold up as a whole. That said, some of the songs are decent when taken on their own (which is what saved this album from getting 1 star). The eclectic nature of the album means that most people will find a couple songs they like. If you liked "Famous among the Barns" you'll probably like "Wrong" and "Wilderness", while if you liked "Another Run" the you'll probably like the last three tracks as they seem to capture some of the spirit of that album. So my recommendation is to stay away from the album as a whole and rather pick out specific tracks that match your musical tastes. If you're going to own one Ben Taylor album, it should not be this one, but rather the much stronger "Another Run Around the Sun"."
Doesn't live up to the title
A. Butterfield | UK | 09/29/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The danger of producing an album with a title like this is that it won't live up to it. The title, I guess, is a bit of a joke and isn't meant to mean much. But if you're expecting something new and unique, don't. This 'concept' of Kung Folk sounds an awful lot like regular pop music to me.

But, as pop music goes, it's not bad.

Songs like 'Wrong' and the very catchy 'She's Gone' have a laid back groove, pleasant harmonies and nice melodies. Ben's voice (his best asset) is smooth, and he has a nice way of phrasing things. Most of the songs on the album are like this.

The exceptions are 'Dangerous Girl', for a start, on which Ben seems to be singing through a vocoder. It's one of those songs where the singer talks 'at random' at the end, which I thought was passé these days (should be) and doesn't add anything to the track. 'Wilderness' is another slightly different track, and the only song not written by Ben or co-written with his buddy David Saw. 'Wilderness' goes a bit overboard with the drum machine and gets repetitive and annoying enough to need skipping past.

Probably the best song is 'Wicked Way', though I'm sure some will think it's a bit sleazy. It's a frank and unromantic seduction song that's pretty funny.

The album ends with the soft piano-driven 'After It's Over', which is nice enough. By this time, you will have noticed that though the album is undeniably very pleasant to listen to ('Wilderness' excepted), it doesn't really go anywhere, doesn't have any standout songs that people will beg him to sing at live shows, and certainly doesn't live up to that title. Nor is it, I reckon, as good as either of Ben's previous albums. This is part one of the legend... let's hope part two is a bit better. Even so, it just about deserves four stars.

"