Fans Want Ben Taylor to Have His 'Wicked Way' With Them

If anybody has the right to emulate the style of icon James Taylor it's Ben Taylor, the son of "Sweet Baby" James and fellow singer-songwriter royalty, Carly Simon. The younger Taylor tells Spinner that his new single, the infectious 'Wicked Ways,' the video for which we recently debuted, harkens back to his famous parents. "With regards to my folks, I think stylistically this song is way more of a throwback to something they may have made in terms of the production of it and the way the music actually goes," he says. "And I think it's kind of fun because it's another little joke, sort of an inside joke, like, 'Oh yeah, they're doing the James Taylor thing almost, but in the style of Outkast.'"

Like any famous offspring, Taylor knows the specter of his parents will always be there. "There has been and always will be a huge amount of pressure as long as I do music to live up the example that both of my parents set," he admits. "But I think that most of that pressure is internal. It comes from me and so long as I recognize that it's easy to cope with. I'm very, very proud to be who I am."

Part of dealing with that pressure, for Taylor, is humor. "The best way is just accepting it and being who you are and at times when it becomes difficult I think the saying is, 'If you've gotta tell them the truth, better make them laugh.'"
It was with that sentiment in mind that he wrote 'Wicked Ways.' "When you're a sort of sensitive singer-songwriter, you need an opportunity to be taking yourself less seriously on stage, sort of an antic song, an antidote to so much morose folksiness," he says.

But the song has taken on a life of its own and become a favorite in his live show. And he's gotten some very favorable response to the track. "Fans sometimes come to shows with 'You can have your wicked way with me' signs," he says. Kinky.