Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez

Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez

The Trouble With Humans (TMG) Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez kick aside any hint of the sophomore slump on The Trouble With Humans, one of the finest duet discs since Gram Parsons' (and Emmylou Harris') beloved Grievous Angel. Taylor is the cat with nine lives, the singer-songwriter whose career summarizes simply with "Wild Thing." Yet writing "Wild Thing," "Angel of the Morning," and any of his other hits over the decades doesn't adequately prepare the listener for how lyrically gorgeous The Trouble With Humans is or how aurally pleasurable the voices are. Carrie Rodriguez's voice is no less sweet 'n' twangy than it was on the duo's 2002 debut, yet commands a power it only hinted at on Let's Leave This Town. "Don't pass that thing to me, I'm not a receiver," she warns in her thick honey voice on "Don't Speak in English." Rodriguez's yearning fiddle is featured on most of the dozen tracks that burst forth fully formed as waltzes ("We Come up Shining") and ballads ("Oh Ireland"), as well as two-steps ("Dirty Little Texas Story"). Taylor's usual lineup of players with impeccable credentials places John Platania (Van Morrison) and Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention) with Austin's Lloyd Maines, Earl Poole Ball, and Redd Volkaert. Make no mistake, though, it's Taylor's songs that are stop-you-in-your-tracks good ("Laredo," "Curves and Things," "Memphis, Texas"), with confessional lyrics and hooky melodies. Albums like The Trouble With Humans don't come along often, but when they do, they bring an unfettered joy. If there's any justice in the world, the word "Grammy" is somewhere in Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez's future. (CD release, Cactus Cafe, Thursday, Oct. 23)