It surely isn't easy being the child of famous folk, but that's no reason for Sally Taylor to make it any harder on herself. Ms. Taylor, daughter of Carly Simon and James Taylor, came to the 20th Century in Oakley Wednesday night and played an uneven 80-minute set of music. It went from dull to sublime in a flash, and the culprit for the bad times was her band.

        Ms. Taylor proved to be a talented singer and songwriter, talented enough to pull off a few of the songs in spite of that band, who are her buddies from her home in Colorado.

        She told the crowd she's determined to sustain a career in music outside of the mainstream music business. She was approached by record companies who had deals ready without ever hearing her music, she said.

        Her determination to go the independent route is understandable, but it wouldn't be a sellout to sack her band and find some guys who could play a little better. If the guitar-bass-drums trio wasn't drowning out her soft singing, they were putting forth bland folk-rock that added nothing to the performance.

        There was a weird vibe to the night. The crowd comprised what looked like her parents' fans, who sat at white-clothed tables and solemnly took in the proceedings. “I feel like I'm onstage,” Ms. Taylor noted strangely.

        Ms. Taylor writes more interestingly than mom if not dad, although subject matter seemed limited to either life on the road or the end of relationships. “Split Decisions,” one of the better songs, was about life on the road and the end of relationships, she said. Even her cover of Stealers Wheel's “Stuck in the Middle with You,” she explained, related to her life on the road.

        Songs that departed from the road-breakup axis were hit-and-miss. “Sign of Rain,” which she said dealt with her childhood years on Martha's Vineyard, was tolerable as far as upper-tax-bracket folk music goes.

        The best song was “Tomboy Bride.” It was just her and her guitar, quiet and pretty. If she doesn't have the nerve to replace her friends with better musicians, she should turn them loose and go it alone. It couldn't get more independent than that.

'Charlie's Angels' retro chic
MTV delays Cranley special
Widow strides forward into new life
Pig Parade: Equine Swine I, II & III
Get to It
Taylor shows talent, but should sack band
Linton series honors musician David Golub
Elzinga helps Matinee Musicale celebrate 90th anniersary