TAXI CHAIN
Smarten Up! (Northern Blues)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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When I first heard of a rock/blues band that had a bagpipe, I did a double-take. I thought that the rock band Big Country used one (they didn't, the guitars were mixed from here to Glasgow and back, but they sure sounded like that traditional Scottish instrument). Canada's Taxi Chain starts off with one of the most wistful songs I've ever heard, "Memphis," but the way they mix bagpipe, fiddle, and tin whistles on the title cut, Grier Coppins' bagpipes fit right in. Smarten Up is the third CD from Canada's Taxi Chain, following their Bagpipe Juke Joint (1996) and Sadness and the Good Doctor (1999) releases. Smarten Up! alternates between soul, traditional Scottish music and country, and when I listen to "Cut Me A Key" or "Tandoori Mustache," I learn just how diverse and talented Taxi Chain can be, ranging from country folk that evokes to open Canadian plain to a crowded Delhi deli. If you're open to world music, along with some blues, Smarten Up!

Track List:

Memphis * Smarten Up! * James Brown Ate My Bagpipe * Cut Me A Key * Buck A Joy * Tandoori Mustache * It's Your Birthday * Zimbobby * Memphis

© 2004 - Eric Steiner