On Ken Newman’s previous single ‘Who Are The Bad Guys?’, he lamented the state of the world and the amount of apathy within it. Always a thoughtful songwriter, on his current single ‘Taken’, he takes a reflective look at living in the moment and potentially dealing with loss.
A sedate, piano driven track, the rich sounding recording allows Newman’s guitar work to take more of a back seat, but isn’t shy in making his mature and emotive voice a major feature. “We don’t talk about the future”, he opines, before suggesting the song’s protagonist lives too much within the now, a lyric that has a certain ambiguity, since “now” is the only certainty we have. His aching voice sounds arguably better than before, since he allows it to crack on a few gently delivered tones, but he really comes into his own when harmonising with guest performer Katherine Reynolds Brack, tackling a melody that comes straight from a rich vein of 70s singer songwriter influences. As things progress, just in case the blend of stately piano and occasional acoustic guitar work doesn’t pull at your heartstrings, Newman leaves none of the melody’s emotional pull to chance, since there’s a fantastic oboe solo which taps much further into an old fashioned sound, bringing echoes of the underrated Clifford T. Ward and old Honeybus records to the fore.
Fans of Ken’s previous work will enjoy his contributions here, but ‘Taken’ is almost stolen by Katherine who uses her natural talents to breathe life into a very emotive lyric throughout. Whichever way older listeners approach ‘Taken’– and it’s likely that demographic who’ll glean the most enjoyment from this mournful ballad – whether fans of lyrics or strong melodies, it’s certainly a track that has lots to offer.
Take a listen below.
Visit Ken’s official website here.
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