Chip Taylor
& Carrie Rodriguez
Let’s Leave This Town
Texas Music Group – 4009
Released 2002
available on
amazon
This new release by this legendary Texas songwriter is about as far as you can get from The Troggs, “Wild Thing” as you can get However it is the same Chip Taylor, and he has worked his way around the long way in many ways in this music business. This is his teaming with up and coming fiddler/singer Carrie Rodriguez, to bring a slew of new songs to the public, some of which are destined to become hits in Country/Western music scene. He wrote, or co-wrote, 10 of the 12 tunes here, and there isn’t a wormy one in the package. Before the focus turns too much to this legend, take a listen to not only the stellar and sensitive fiddling this budding new singer is capable of producing. “There’s a Hole in the Midnight”, has a feel to it that calls back the best of the “sad” Country songs, without being disgustingly maudlin. Oh it’s a weeper all right,
however that line of gush sentimentality is not crossed. There is a good mix in the tempos of the tunes and this disc never gets stuck in any rut. They have a remarkable group of musicians playing with them that go along way to bringing out the best in his music, including former Van Morrison stalwart, John Platinia on electric guitar, and Fairport Convention’s Dave Mattacks handling the drums. However this is their disc and it is they who do make it dazzle as a bright star in that lonesome Texas prairie night.